The Ultimate Choice
by Cammie-Strone
Summary: What if there wasn't just Dark and Krad? What if there was a third and they were a girl? Dark has already taken an interest and Krad... Well, who knows what he's trying to do with her (AU) DaisukexOC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"In other news tonight, the local authorities have announced that they received another note containing information of a theft to occur later tonight by none other than the Phantom Dark. All that is known is the item is near the priceless range and it once belonged to a royal family of this city. And here's a shot of the museum that Dark will be flying to, courtesy of Himeko. Himeko?"

A split screen came on and a darkening night showed wide iron gates surrounded by a large crowd holding signs of admiration and cheering on Dark, despite his appearance not happening for another couple of hours. The shot changed to behind the crowd and a woman from the Azumano News Network stood there, her expression dead-panned.

"Thank you, Sakura," the woman said, tucking her long black bangs behind an ear as she turned to look at the backs of the crowd. "I'm here with the supporters of Phantom Dark in front of the Tsurumi Museum, just hours away from his announced appearance. The police arrived ten minutes ago and are still imploring civilians to keep their distance from the gates or even leave. I'm about to speak with one of Phantom Dark's extreme supporters now."

Himeko and the camera turned to the right then, and a girl about fourteen years old with wide, girly brown eyes and brown hair tied back with a pink ribbon.

"So, what is your name, young lady?" Hemiko asked the girl, holding the microphone up to her. She leaned toward the mike more and giggled, high pitched and just as girly, as she waved excitedly into the camera.

"I'm Risa! Risa Harada!" she said with another giggle, turning to face Himeko. The news anchor nodded slightly and brought the mike to herself again.

"And what exactly is it that makes you such a loyal supporter of Phantom Dark, Miss Harada?" she questioned, almost flatly. At the mention of the Thief, Risa clutched her hands together under her chin and swung her head from side to side.

"Oooh! He's so handsome!" she exclaimed, "And he's so mysterious! Phantom Dark is the best ever! I'll support him my whole life if I have to!"

Himeko opened her mouth to speak but the T.V. screen suddenly blipped off, and Sayo sighed heavily, sitting onto the foot of her queen-sized bed. She dropped her small T.V. remote next to her and stared into the black, tingling abyss of the screen hanging on the wall, a scowl forming on her face. After a few seconds of thought, she sighed in annoyance and shook her head angrily, flopping herself backward and stared at the ceiling.

'Honestly... there's nothing great or fantastic about a guy who can fly and uses that ability to steal things,' she thought in irritation. She closed her eyes, her brows furrowed, and put her hands behind her head. "Why would anyone possibly think that dang guy is hot or whatever? If he had to steal things, why bother doing up those stupid notes, saying he was going to?"

Sayo sighed heavily again, sitting up to put the remote onto her nightstand and turn off the light, crawling under her covers. With a quiet sigh, Sayo cuddled into her pillow and drifted into a light sleep filled with dreams and flashes of the amethyst-haired, cool-smirking Thief.

* * *

_"That went pretty well... for once. Don't you think, Dark?"_

The Thief chuckled to himself and tutted his Tamer. "Daisuke, Daisuke, Daisuke..." he said with a smirk. "I've never had a bad theft before. And besides, I'll bet you think that because Risa was there."

Dark could see Daisuke's face turn as red as his hair and his smirk widened as he continued teasing the boy.

"Although, she was cheering my name and everything. So maybe it sucked a bit for you. But I certainly had a blast," he said, recalling the explosion he'd created to distract the police and run into the locked room for the beloved Jewel of Possession.

Daisuke moaned sadly at the memory of seeing his brown-haired angel's face brightening as Dark had flown in through the air, diving toward the ceiling of the flat-roofed building. Dark laughed to himself and suddenly took a sharp down turn, startling the red-headed boy.

_"W-whoa..! W-what are you doing, Dark? I thought we were going straight back home! Don't take any shortcuts!"_ he cried in shock. Dark grinned a bit and swiftly curved a left, barely missing the very tops of trees and nicking branches that stuck out randomly. _"D-Dark! Be careful! If you end up getting hurt, Mom will kill me! Or you! Or even both!"_

"Don't worry, Daisuke," the teen assured his Tamer with a grin. "It's just a little detour. We're in the area of someone I've been watching for the past while. I'd like to see her for a minute before getting you safe and sound to your Mommy."

_"Watching? Are you saying you're stalking the person?"_ Daisuke shouted loudly, making the older boy frown and cover his ears. _"Dark, you better not get me in trouble! And I still have to see Miss Harada at school tomorrow, so don't do anything stupid!"_

"Stupid?" Dark repeated with a bit of humor in his voice. "Since when have I done anything stupid?"

The male's question was returned by skeptical silence and Dark chuckled quietly again, slowing to a graceful stop onto a large balcony with potted plants on either side of double doors with dark curtains hanging from the inside. He tucked his wings into his back, making himself take as little room as possible. Then he silently stepped toward the doors, his eyes easily seeing in the darkness of the night. Daisuke remained silent as well, and Dark could feel his reluctant curiosity about what the Thief was doing.

_"Dark, are you sure you know what you're doing?"_ Daisuke asked timidly as the Thief stopped in front of the closed doors, showing a darkened room inside. _"I mean, it looks like whoever's in there is asleep. Maybe you should forget about this and get on home. Before Mom finds out I'm late and starts freaking out?"_ Daisuke sounded hopeful at the end, and Dark could tell he was getting nervous about being late.

"She's a light sleeper," Dark murmured so only his other half heard. But he peeked inside the door, smirking when he caught a sight of a bed, and he chuckled to himself. "I make one sound, like so..." Dark then reached over to his left and shook the trunk of the small potted tree, creating a loud enough rustle to flicker on a light inside. Daisuke yelped in panic and Dark simply stepped back, smirking as only he could.

"I told you she was a light sleeper," Dark said under his breath. He kept in the shadows as well as he wanted as a girl with shoulder-length black hair wearing a sleeveless tank top and hip-hugging pajama bottoms came peering narrow-eyed to the door windows. She looked around, leaving Dark's figure unnoticed, then frowned and opened the door. That's when he took a step out of the shadows. When she turned to look at his direction, her eyes went wide and she jumped, letting out a shriek.

"What the hell are you doing here, you lunatic?" she shouted angrily, storming toward Dark without giving him a chance to open his mouth. "First I watch about you on T.V. hours before you have to steal something- which is absolutely insane, by the way- and had to listen to some obsessed fan of yours squeal about how she'd support you her whole life-"

Dark laughed inside as Daisuke reddened at the fact that he knew it was his beloved Risa who was the supporter. The girl stomped closer to Dark, a finger jabbing into his chest for emphasis.

"-and now I got you on my balcony acting as if you belong here?" she hissed. "What do you want, you jerk?"

Dark chuckled and immediately slipped into his charming act as he gently took hold of her hand that had been thrusted against his black shirt. He brought it up to his lips and softly kissed the back of it, to her horror.

"I thought I would come by and meet the beautiful girl I've noticed for a while now," he said sweetly, smirking into her hand. She pulled it away and growled, stepping back. He placed his hands onto his hips and watched her, the amber tint in her eyes flaring.

"What makes you think I want you here?" she snapped irritably, scowling at him. He laughed softly and stepped toward her more, reaching a hand to caress her cheek and cup her chin, tilting her head to look at her better.

"Because the moment I saw you, I knew you were different from all the other girls," he told her quietly, almost a whisper. Her eyes narrowed at him in suspicion. "I'd like to go out with you, if you'd permit it."

Sayo rolled her eyes at him and tugged herself out of his grasp, crossing her arms. "I bet you say that to all the girls, Dark," she said mock-sweetly. "And besides, you're a wanted criminal. How can I be the girlfriend of a man who's always being chased down by the police- albeit not chased well- and I could never allow an innocent, young girl like myself to be involved with someone like you."

_"Young girl?"_ Daisuke questioned, puzzled. _"But she looks older than me."_

_'She's your age, all right,'_ Dark thought to Daisuke with a stifled grin. He swept his hands out in a graceful motion, a smile on his face. "That's the beauty of a forbidden romance!" he told Sayo cheerfully, getting closer to her again. This time, she stood her ground, her arms still crossed over her tank top. "It's mysterious, it's suspenseful, and neither one of us will know what will come of it! So, what do you say?"

Sayo just stared blankly at Dark, her face completely expressionless as he awaited her reply. Meanwhile, Daisuke began to get doubtful of his counter-part.

_"You really think that'll work on her, Dark?"_ he asked, trying to hold back a grin himself. _"She doesn't seem too excited over your offer. Maybe you should just give up and let me go home now."_

Persistent. The Thief had that at least to say, or think really, about the boy. But he didn't go with his advice, and instead decided to give Sayo a little more persuasion to her answer. Without a word or sound, he stepped close enough to her to hold her shoulders gently and quickly lean down and press his lips to hers. He felt her stiffen under his touch and heard a sharp but muffled intake of breath from her. He pulled back after a few seconds, watching her eyes widen in shock and teeter a bit backward toward her doors, her eyes locked on him. Then she spun around quickly and ran inside her room, slamming the doors hard with a final, "Jerk!"

Dark smirked and chuckled to himself, unfurling his wings finally and thrusting into the cool air of the on-coming autumn, soaring and diving back to his Tamer's house, a half-hour later than he was supposed to be back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Humph! That jerk, kissing me like that. Who does he think he is, some sort of super cool, ultra smooth flirting thief?" Sayo grumbled under her breath after slamming her doors on the Phantom Thief. She grunted in anger and forced herself to sit on her bed, eyes closed in annoyance. She heard Amber chuckle in the back of her head.

_"Actually, I do believe that's exactly who he thinks he is,"_ she told her Tamer with amusement in her words. Sayo groaned quietly and rolled her eyes, falling backward onto her bed and pressing her palms into her eyes gently_. "Anyway, he's not as bad as you think he is, girl. Dark seems to be very polite and like a gentleman. What don't you like about him?"_

Releasing her hands from her eyes, Sayo frowned and crossed her arms, staring up at her ceiling again. "All he does is flirt with girls and lead 'em on and steal. I mean, what kind of guy is he to do that, Amber?" She could tell her other half was ready to reply, but she quickly cut her off. "And if you say that he's the kind of guy that makes you swoon once more, I swear I'll come inside that mind of ours and kick your butt. Maybe if he showed some good traits, I wouldn't be so harsh with him," she mumbled, turning to her side and closing her eyes. Amber sighed heavily and Sayo could see her rolling her eyes at her Tamer in exasperation. "In any case, I doubt I'll be seeing Dark any time soon, so just forget it, Amber, okay? Don't mention him again unless I run into him..."

Yawning softly, Sayo curled herself into a ball and fell asleep once more, the older girl that she shared a mind with seeming to watch her as she did.

* * *

"Just what were you thinking, young man? I was so worried when you didn't come home on time and without a call, either? Do you realize I nearly had a heart attack because I thought you'd gotten hurt or something? Next time you decide to go on a late-night stroll, think about your poor mother back home, wondering where you'd gone to! Do you understand me?"

Daisuke nodded guiltily, his eyes trailed on the floor in front of him, as he shifted from foot to foot, anxious to change out of his thieving clothes and into his P.J.s so he could go to sleep. Cautiously and hesitantly, Daisuke looked up to his mother, who was still fuming mad about him arriving home almost forty-five minutes late from the agreed upon time. He had thought about telling her earlier how Dark had sidetracked him by pulling a unwanted Romeo act to a girl he had been 'watching', but after thinking about how suspicious it might sound to Emiko- not to mention Dark reassuring him that keeping that little tidbit from his mother wouldn't hurt her- Daisuke decided to take the lecture from the woman and not tell what had happened.

Finally, after Emiko finished her firm scolding about the dangers of making her worry and not coming home on time, Daisuke was finally able to slip into his night clothes and escape into the world that was his bed at night. But he didn't fall asleep instantly like he'd thought he would. Instead, he stared up at his white ceiling, hands clutching his quilt a bit as he watched Dark's encounter with the yellow-tinted haired girl through their shared mind's eye, unable to figure out why he couldn't stop thinking about her. The ruby-haired boy bit his bottom lip nervously and closed his eyes with a soft sigh, his brain reeling with logical reasons why the girl kept appearing in his head. The only thing he could assume the reason was, was because Dark couldn't stop thinking about her either, and so Daisuke had to see it as well.

'But that's never happened before, so why would it start now?' he asked himself in confusion, slipping his quilt over his mouth to muffle the small weary moan. Shaking his head a bit, he decided to let it be for the night, and turned to his side. Sleep came to him slowly, since he tried hard to keep his mind off the images of the girl's irritated look from earlier that evening. As he drifted off, he didn't hear the slight chuckle coming from his other half, nor did he notice when the Thief spoke, almost in a whisper.

_"For a guy who says he likes one girl, you certainly have a knack for confusing yourself with simple decisions."_

* * *

The next morning when Daisuke woke up, he remembered wondering about the girl but found that he no longer did. Shrugging it off as momentary curiosity, he dressed and headed downstairs, where he was greeted by a cheerful Emiko and Daiki. He smiled pleasantly and ate his breakfast, glad that most of his morning was going smoothly without the insane interruption of Dark, who normally commented on things his Tamer would be doing that night in terms of stealing. But he heard nothing and assumed that the older entity was simply sleeping.

Daisuke left the house right on time and walked to the train station, greeting the people as he always did, and arrived at the stop early, having minutes to himself to think about what he had to do at school that day while waiting for the train to come. At first, he started thinking about how he had to stay after school since he somehow managed to get roped into switching clean-up duties with Saehara the previous day, but soon, his thoughts ended up where they'd been the night before.

"Aside from Ms. Harada, I think that girl is the only one I know of now that hasn't fallen for Dark," he thought in part amusement, remembering Riku's reaction whenever Dark was mentioned. A slight smile crossed the red-haired boy's face and he chuckled quietly to himself. "And if she's my age, then maybe I'll run into her at school some time and I can try talking to her."

At that moment, he heard the clattering of the tracks as the train neared and he, along with dozens of other people near his age that went to Azumano, stepped to the boundary line where it was safe, and climbed on board with them, managing to grab a seat. Almost five minutes later, at Risa Harada's stop, he was able to keep a seat empty for her and listened politely as she went on and on about how she had been on television at Dark's theft. Even at this, Daisuke still didn't hear Dark making any comments and for a brief moment, worried that something was wrong with the man, but pushed that wonder away in time to help her off the train and walk with her to the school.

During homeroom, Daisuke met face-to-face with the energetic reporter, who was grinning his face off, and coiled himself mentally to what his friend was about to say. He followed the Tamer as he went to his desk, putting his book bag onto its hook, and then slammed his hands on the table eagerly.

"Hey, guess what I heard!" Saehara exclaimed, not even letting Daisuke get a word in before going on. "Word in the school is that we're getting a new student today and from what I've heard, she's supposed to be really cute!" The brown-haired boy chuckled and leaned closer to Daisuke. "Maybe if you're lucky, you can meet her when I show her around school later! All yah gotta do is promise to lend me your notes from class yesterday, and you're in! Whadd'ya say, huh?"

"New student?" Daisuke repeated, blinking in surprise. He'd heard of transfer students coming in at all times of the year- Ms. Hio being a good example- but that didn't mean he couldn't be at least a little surprised at the news. Especially since his class didn't normally accept students half-way through the year.

Saehara nodded in response to Daisuke's blank question then grinned widely and simply walked away, waving brightly to his friend behind his back. Daisuke sat in his desk, staring at the top in contemplation, trying to figure out who the new student could be. But his thoughts were cut short when he heard Risa giggling with her friends about her TV appearance last night, and he smiled a bit, looking over just in time to catch Riku's eye. Blinking curiously, he waved slightly to her and received a pink-tinted, wide-eyed look from the tomboy and she turned her head away quickly, much to Daisuke's bewilderment.

"I'm assuming you heard about the student, Niwa?" a low, cool voice asked from behind him. Daisuke turned his head and saw Hiwatari in his seat in the back, a small, amused smirk on his genius face. As usual, his ice-blue eyes were unclear, always difficult to decipher to everyone, but today, it looked like there was a spark of knowledge in them, like he knew something about things Daisuke didn't. And it wasn't like the boy was going to tell him, either. Maybe he knew who the new student was.

"Uh, yeah. You wouldn't happen to know who it is, would you, Hiwatari?" Daisuke told him, a tiny hopeful smile on his face. Hiwatari said nothing; he merely chuckled under his breath and brought his attention back to his book in front of his, the smirk growing a bit more.

"It's surprising you haven't figured it out yet, Niwa," he stated before putting his full attention to the book, which he'd probably read a dozen times already. Puzzled, Daisuke turned back to facing the front and started mulling over it again, chin in hand. Dark was being awfully quiet that morning, he couldn't help but think to himself in amazement.

Then the bell rang, indicating it was time for homeroom, and everyone shuffled into their seats as the teacher came in, holding the door open for a small figure who kept their head down. Daisuke blinked, assuming that the girl was the new student, judging from her casual clothing, which sort of surprised him. Normally, new students received their uniform in time for their arrival (Ms. Hio, yet again, being a good example of quite the opposite), but maybe the girl didn't get it yet. So Daisuke shrugged it off as the teacher went to his desk and began to get things ready. The girl stood in the middle of the front of the class, clutching her book bag handle with both hands and even from his seat, Daisuke could tell she was really nervous. He couldn't help but smile fondly. He had a feeling that he'd get along great with this one.

"Class, can I have your attention?" the teacher said, clapping his hands at the few students who were still chatting with their friends. They quieted and turned to him, gossiping already about their new classmate. "Class, this is Sayo Aisaka. She moved into the zone for this school, so she's new. Until she gets used to everything, please help her get along." While everyone politely clapped at the introduction, Daisuke stopped in mid-clap to gasp to himself and stare wide-eyed at Sayo as she lifted her head from bowing it. He saw familiar amber eyes and suddenly realized why.

Sayo Aisaka was the girl who Dark had dropped off to see last night!

Daisuke felt his face redden, in embarrassment or mortification, he didn't know, as Dark finally spoke up for the first time that morning. Except, he was actually laughing, not talking, as if finding the fact that Daisuke had to spend time in school with the girl the Thief was interested in completely hysterical. Without meaning to, Daisuke let out a loud, "Nooooo!", causing everyone to stare at him as he understood finally that now he'd have to work with Sayo while keeping the secret of him and Dark from her!

"_This isn't fair_!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"So what's the deal between you and Ms. Aisaka?" Saehara demanded curiously from the red-head at lunchtime. The brown-haired boy gave his friend a frown that meant he was trying to understand the other boy who was just staring at his desk, his eyes slightly wide still. "I mean, do you _know_ her or something?"

_"Boy, this kid is_ good_!"_ Dark laughed from Daisuke's mind, upbeat despite the horrified thoughts going through his Tamer's mind. _"But then again, you _did _scream out loud so the entire class could hear you. Did you _really_ think that no one would guess that you'd somehow know Sayo?"_

"Thanks a lot... You're a big help," Daisuke mumbled under his breath, meaning to talk inside his mind to Dark, but instead spoke aloud and Saehara blinked widely.

"Huh? Daisuke, what are you talking about? Do you know the new student or _don't_ you?" he repeated, leaning his head down so that it was level with Daisuke's. The Tamer snapped out of his daze and looked over at his best friend, shaking his head a bit.

"Uh, not really," he replied, still mumbling a little. "I just... saw her by chance last night and..." he trailed off, then smiled sheepishly. "It's nothing; never mind. Anyway, I thought you were going to talk to her, Saehara." At that prompt, the brown-haired reporter grinned confidently and rubbed his thumb on one side of his nose, trying to seem cocky.

"Don't you worry about that, Daisuke," he assured the boy with a chuckle. "I'll talk to her when the time is right. Until then, just act like you don't know her. That'll make her want to be around me even _more_ when I _do_ start talkin' to her." Daisuke smiled awkwardly, sweat dropping slightly at his words. It wasn't like Daisuke was going to act like he did know Sayo, at any rate. In fact, the only thing he knew about her was that she was his age and she didn't like Dark that much. But other than that, she might as well be a stranger to him. Which, technically, she was supposed to be, considering the whole him not knowing Dark thing and all.

It was at that moment that Sayo happened to walk toward Daisuke and Saeahara, looking nervous and a bit awkward. He felt a bit bad for her, what with being in a new school so late in the year so she didn't know anyone at all. So when she finally stopped next to Daisuke, he gave her his calming and friendly smile, looking up at her. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it, as if unsure of what to say. Saehara, meanwhile, was busy acting like he didn't see her, pretending to be reading Daisuke's notes or something, while sneaking peeks at Sayo from the corner of his eyes.

"Ah... You're Daisuke Niwa, right?" Sayo questioned the red head. Daisuke nodded, still smiling. Sayo bit her bottom lip a bit and shifted her gaze elsewhere, like she didn't feel comfortable with what she was doing. "Um... this is gonna sound like,_ really_ weird, but... you wouldn't happen to know Phantom Dark, would you?" She looked directly at Daisuke then, and he could swear he'd seen a flash of fiery red in her eyes, like there was another side of her that she always kept hidden. But when he registered her question, and noticed Saehara tensing at the mention of Phantom Dark, his smile turned a bit nervous and he waved his hands to Sayo, shaking his head a bit.

"W-what? N-no, of course I don't know him!" he stammered, attempting to go for casualty as he denied the connection. He heard Dark chuckle in his mind.

_"I knew she was smart, but to hear_ this_... Well, it's certainly a pleasant surprise. Perhaps Sayo knows more than she's letting on with that question,"_ Dark said with a hint of a grin in his voice. Then he paused and Daisuke could sense the deep thought coming from his counter-part. His tone was a bit careful and firm now. _"For some reason, I'm sensing something... not exactly human about her. I'm not sure_ _what it is, but there's definitely something there. Stay on your guard, Daisuke, until I figure it out."_

"So... you've only_ heard_ of Dark, then?" Sayo asked, bringing Daisuke back to his odd conversation with the girl. He nodded a little and she gave an almost relieved sigh to herself, then looked around the classroom, rubbing her fingers through her black hair absently. She blinked, jolting a bit when she turned to look across the room, flicking a finger to a certain blue-haired boy reading a book. "Um, any chance _he'd_ know?"

Glancing over to where she was, Daisuke gasped inwardly as he saw Satoshi lift his head up to them both, his eyes hidden by the glare in his glasses from the lights in the classroom. _'What? How is Ms. Aisaka guessing about this? Do you think she actually knows about The Black Wings and you, Dark?_' he thought to the Thief, who kept silent. Disgruntled that he wasn't getting any answers, Daisuke gave Sayo a small shrug.

"He might; who knows?" he told her, trying to keep his answer as cryptic as possible. Dark had told him to be careful after all. He smiled warmly at the girl, starting to stand from his desk. "Would you like me to introduce you?" he offered, then smiled more at Sayo's mildly shocked expression before nodding with her own smile. It didn't par up with Risa's smile, but it was definitely close. He nodded and was about to lead Sayo to Satoshi when he hesitated and turned to Saehara, gesturing to him.

"Oh, this is Saehara, by the way, Ms. Aisaka," he told her, not missing the same grin on his best friend as he'd had on his face around Mio Hio months ago. "If you'd like, you can-" he started, but Saehara cut him off, taking both of Sayo's hands into his gallantly.

"Ms. Aisaka, you have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen!" he exclaimed. Sayo blinked blankly at him, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. "If there's _ever_ anything you'd like or want, just let me know and I'll go to the ends of the earth to get it! If you even want pictures of Phantom Dark, tell me and I can get you the _very_ best ones I've got!"

At the mention of Dark, though, Sayo politely but firmly withdrew her hands from Saehara's grasp and turned back to Daisuke, trying not to look too annoyed. She gave the red head a crooked smile. "Er, about that boy Niwa?" she reminded him sweetly, already beginning to walk to Satoshi. Blinking in confusion, Daisuke snuck one peek at Saehara, who was also staring after her in his own confusion, before following after her.

* * *

_"I was so _sure_ that the red haired kid had some connection to Dark. I felt it, y'know?"_ Amber growled irritably in Sayo's mind. The female Tamer sighed inside her mind, mentally closing her eyes at the older girl. "What_? I'm not allowed to get annoyed that my hunch was wrong? I just know there's somethin' weird about Daisuke, and it's not just the fact that his best friend is an odd egotist, either. Maybe the guy's hiding Dark from you. Like you do about _me_."_

_'Hey, don't talk so rudely about Niwa. He's a nice boy, okay? And _no_, you're _not_ allowed to get annoyed because it makes me act weird in front of people,'_ Sayo thought back firmly, getting closer to the silent boy's desk. She felt her muscles tense up, like there was something strange about him and it made her feel uncomfortable, but Amber was beginning to get excited. The reason _why_, though, Sayo couldn't think of. She was probably thinking of something weird as usual and was thinking it was right when it probably _wasn't_. That's the way it normally went.

Finally, she got to the bluette's desk and almost instantly, he lowered his book and glanced up at her and Daisuke, his guarded blue eyes shifting between the two of them before straying on Sayo a bit longer then glancing at Daisuke, a smirk of almost amusement on his pale lips.

"Can I help you, Niwa?" the boy asked, his voice low and reminding Sayo of melting ice that, if possible. Daisuke chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, gesturing to Sayo slightly.

"I hope you don't mind, Hiwatari, but Ms. Aisaka wanted to meet you. So I told her I'd introduce her to you," he explained and looked at Sayo with a cheerful and warm smile. "Ms. Aisaka, this is Satoshi Hiwatari. Don't let his appearance fool you- he's actually quite smart and even the-"

"The Chief Commander for the police, I know," Sayo cut in with a smile. She nodded. "I read about it, anyway. That's how I know. I'm not like,_ stalking_ you or anything; don't worry," she added with an embarrassed laugh. Satoshi nodded, his expression as blank as ever, but Sayo knew that Amber was getting the feeling of something else from it; from his eyes that were looking at her like he knew about the female Phantom.

After a moment of looking at Sayo like a specimen, Satoshi shifted his gaze over to Daisuke. "So, have you figured it out yet, Niwa?" he asked with a hint of a smirk on his face. Daisuke stared at the ice-blue haired boy, puzzled at his question, and slowly shook his head. Satoshi chuckled under his breath at that, stole a peek up at Sayo just in time to show her a flash of gold, and suddenly, Amber let out a high-pitched squeal that made Sayo cringe visibly and clap her hands over her ears in pain. Daisuke looked at her with wide eyes, blinking worriedly while Satoshi merely raised a single eyebrow in very mild curiosity.

"Ms. Aisaka? Are you alright?" Daisuke asked, giving her a slight frown in concern. Sayo grinned, still in pain from Amber's mind-numbing shriek, and nodded a bit, grimacing at the same time.

"E-erm.. Yeah, I'm fine. I just got a sudden headache, is all," she lied then bowed her head a little to the boys before spinning around on her heel and dashing to the classroom doors, giving them a wave. "I'm going to go to the nurse's office and get something to help the pain! I'll see you later, Niwa, and thanks! Bye, guys!" she called out, disappearing from the room.

* * *

Out in the hallway now and headed toward the girl's washroom, Sayo sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping. Sometimes, it was a major pain having another person sharing your body and mind. Especially one completely obsessed with the two halves of The Black Wings and always insisting on meeting either of them or _both_ of them. When she got in one of her moods, she actually wished she didn't have Amber around, so that she could at least have a normal life and a normal relationship. But the other times she didn't feel that way, she was pretty annoyed at how Amber constantly made her act like such a freak, like this instant.

_'Seriously, what the heck was _that_ all about, Amber? You made me almost fall over in front of those guys!'_ she growled in her mind to the still excited teenager.

_"It's not _my_ fault you don't have good reflexes to catch you,"_ Amber replied lightly, her tone almost sing-song_. "And anyway, that's not the point. The point is, that guy with the glasses -Satoshi, right?- well, that weird feeling you were getting from him is because he has his own 'other side' like you and Daisuke do!"_

Sayo had to stop in her tracks, she was that shocked at the words. "Really? But how do you know? Maybe you're wrong, like you were with Niwa and Phantom Dark," she suggested, continuing down the hall.

_"Nuh-uh, there's no way I'm wrong about _this_ one. And I'm still not positive I was wrong about Daisuke, either. But anyway, remember how like, years ago, I'd made you read all those weird books that you couldn't read 'cuz it was written in 'gibber-ese'? Well, that 'gibber-ese', as you called it, was actually writing from this really dead family- although I can't remember their name right now- about one of their best art creations that ended up going nutso- weird on them. They called it The Black Wings and when it went nuts on them, it became two different Phantom Thieves, although one of them does actual stealing while the other one does God-knows-what."_

Sayo had found the washroom as Amber explained and sat on a toilet seat, the stall locked. She nodded, half understanding what the girl was saying. 'Okay, but what exactly does that have to do with me, you, or us?' she asked, receiving a sigh of despair from her counter-part.

_"Seriously? You need me to spell it out for you? And here I thought you were damn smart, too,"_ Amber complained, but then said, in a dramatic voice, _"Those two halves of The Black Wings are Dark and Krad. The same two beings who reside in that Daisuke kid and glasses-guy, Satoshi. And the creators of them are the same ones who made _me_."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_"At least, I_ think_ so, anyway. The real facts are a bit sketchy for me."_

Sayo slapped a hand to her forehead in aggravation, gritting her teeth. _'Y'know, the next time you say anything like that, make sure you get the right facts!'_ she snapped mentally, escaping the washroom in a huff. Amber scoffed, slightly defensive.

_"Hey, you're lucky I've been telling you what I _have_ about the guys. Krad's known to be really violent and doesn't care if he hurts innocent people,"_ she said sharply, then squealed happily. _"He's also a _total_ hottie! I mean, _God_, there's nothing more hot on a guy than a long ponytail and a kick-ass attitude!"_

With a heavy sigh, the female Tamer returned to her classroom just in time to see the teacher talking to Daisuke. The teacher glanced up and gave her a smile, gesturing for her to come over. She complied and blinked between the two males, wondering what was going on.

"Ms. Aisaka, perfect timing," Mr. Kai greeted her, "I've asked Niwa here to show you around. I figured you'd need a guide until you know where your classes are." He gave Daisuke a small nod. "She's all yours, Niwa. Good luck."

And with that, he walked away, leaving Daisuke and Sayo to blink at each other, both unsure of what to do or say. Finally, he seemed to jolt back to attention and smiled warmly at her. "So, I guess you're stuck with me, huh?" he laughed weakly, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Sayo smiled a bit in return, shaking her head as she sat in an empty seat near him.

"No, I wouldn't say that. Even though he ordered you to show me around, I still appreciate it. Thanks a lot," she told him cheerfully. Daisuke smiled more and chuckled politely before getting interrupted by the sound of the bell, telling everyone that lunch was over and it was time to get ready for the afternoon classes. Daisuke perked up at the sound and pushed himself off the desk he'd been leaning against. He glanced at Sayo, who had stood up as well, and gestured with his head to follow him.

"What's your next class?" he asked as they walked out of the classroom and down the hall. Sayo dug out her crisp class schedule, looking at it.

"Um...I think I have math next," she told him, then grinned as she looked up at him. "What about you?" Daisuke nodded with a surprised smile.

"Yeah, I have that, too!" he said, prompting them to share a delighted laugh. He hesitated right in front of their Math class, and Sayo looked at him in curiosity. "Ah, I'll be right back. I... forgot something. But go on in. I'll sit next to you so I can help you catch up with what you've missed, okay?" he explained before bowing his head with apology and jogging down the hallway until he turned a corner, which left Sayo to blink widely and raise an eyebrow after him. But she shrugged and went inside the room.

* * *

_'So, Dark, do you think you know what's different about Ms. Aisaka yet?'_ Daisuke asked to his other half as he slowly walked down the hall, watching the students around him rush to their afternoon class with their arms full of books and other things. He knew he had to get back soon or else risk getting detention, but he just _had_ to see if Dark knew anything. Hiwatari obviously knew something about Sayo, but the genius wasn't telling him, so he had to rely on the Phantom Thief to tell him.

_"Mmm, not yet, but I'm sure Hiwatari will give you some more clues if you talk to him. But I don't sense anything that dangerous from her. Whatever's going on with Sayo, it's certainly not going to harm anyone, as far as I can tell, so don't worry so much, Dai. Just have fun with her and talk to Hiwatari after school. Let me worry about the rest, okay?"_ Dark told him with a slight chuckle. Daisuke smiled a bit in relief and nodded, turning around to head back to his class. Then Dark fell silent once more, something the red haired boy was getting used to for the day. He got to the class, apologizing for being late, and took his seat beside Sayo, who was already working on the problems on the board. He leaned over, wondering if she needed any help, and saw that she was already on the third last problem. He smiled to himself. Seemed like Sayo was going to do well in catching up in her work. Leaning back into his own seat, Daisuke took out his book and began working on the equations himself, a bit surprised that the class went by without a hitch, which was unusual since Dark normally bugged his Tamer by having some fun by giving him fake help then proceeded to have a good laugh at Daisuke's embarrassment when asked for the answer and gave the wrong one.

By the time the class ended and he stood up with everyone else, he was actually in a good mood, a smile stuck to his face. He packed his things into his bag, then turned to Sayo, who was doing the same thing. She had a look of concentration on her face, though, as if thinking about something tough. His smile faltered with worry, hoping she was feeling alright. She_ had_ run out of the room earlier, saying that she had a headache. But then again, maybe that was caused by whatever was making Dark think she was different. Curious, Daisuke laid a hand onto Sayo's shoulder, making her jump a bit in fright. He gave her a sheepishly smile.

"Sorry about that," he apologized, "I just saw that you don't really look that well. Are you okay? Do you need to see the nurse again?" Sayo shook her head with a tight smile.

"Nah, I'm fine, Niwa. Thanks, though," she told him, dropping the subject like that. She rummaged her schedule out again and stared at it. "Where's the Home Ec room to? I have Mr. Kaseda next," she asked him, shoving it back into her bag. Daisuke nodded with a mild sweat drop. If she had that brash teacher next, she might not survive to see the end of the day! Nonetheless, he led her to the cooking room and wished her luck before heading for his own last class.

* * *

_'It _has_ to be her. There's no other reason for this feeling. It _has_ to be Amber Aisaka__,__'_ Satoshi thought tersely, staring hard at the old-looking books around him on the long table. He'd told the teacher he had his last two classes at school that he had something very important he had to do at home and slipped outta there to double-check the feeling of something odd he'd been getting from Sayo Aisaka. But now he was almost a hundred percent positive. She held the discarded being of the only female Phantom, Amber. He wasn't sure until now, and the moment he saw the choppy handwriting of his ancestors, he _knew_ he was right.

_"Why, Master Satoshi, I never knew you were into such... things. Are you telling me you'll be spending time with that simply girl now and forgetting about Dark?"_ Krad laughed from inside the Commander's head. Satoshi scowled and stared more at the pages, hoping that the fallen angel would go away if he ignored the blonde. Unfortunately, the sadistic being did no such thing, and instead tried to push himself out of his Tamer's body just for cruel fun. Satoshi winced and groaned, gripping his chest tightly and forcing Krad back.

"Stop it..." he growled out, panting for breath. "Why do you even care if I'm doing this...? It's not like _you_ get anything out of it. Just... leave me _alone_...!" He managed to shove Krad back into the back of his mind, only the echoing sound of the man's evil cackle as evidence of his attempt at power. Satoshi caught his breath quickly and straightened up, his eyes flickering over the sheets once more before turning away from it, his mind racing with thoughts.

'I need to know _more_ about this Amber Aisaka... Why she was discarded, if she's another Phantom Thief like Dark... and anything else I can get. There's not much on here in the books,' he thought firmly, and an idea popped into his mind, but he refused to accept it, not wanting to go that far to get what he wanted and needed. If he did, he'd just be sinking as low as Krad would be, and he would _never_ do something that horrid to Sayo, who was as innocent to the world as Daisuke was.

_"Come now, Master Satoshi, surely you wish to know everything about Amber. If I wanted to, _I_ could tell you, but, "_ Krad laughed again in cold amusement, _"I don't feel like it. But I _would_ like to see her again, though. She is certainly... unpredictable and fiery." _He let out a growing laugh of cruel delight, apparently amused by Satoshi being in pain and not wanting to go through with using Sayo to get to Amber.

Satoshi grunted, in pain and in frustration, and hit his fist hard against the table, sending some of the loose papers flying off the surface. He _really_ didn't want to, but it seemed he had no choice if he wanted to gain more insight on who exactly this Amber was. But to tangle Sayo into the mess... Well, it was something he didn't want to do.

But he _would_.

* * *

_"Hey, that cute guy with the glasses isn't here. Wonder where he went,"_ Amber commented offhandedly as Sayo walked through the school to her locker and took out her outside shoes. The girl shrugged absently and began piling her textbooks into the shelf in her locker. Amber made a slight whine, and Sayo could picture her stomping her feet like a child. _"Why aren't you curious?"_ she complained in a whine. _"I mean, he's totally cute and if you get closer to him, I can get to know my Krad more! It'd be a win-win, Sayo! C'moooon! You never do _anything_ for me! You're mean!"_

Sayo groaned and rolled her eyes in annoyance, slamming her door and walking toward the main doors with the rest of the school. _'Look, I don't really care about Krad or Dark or anything like that. All I want is to get through a school year without anyone finding out about _you_ and attempt to have a real relationship with a nice guy. That's all. So neither Dark nor Krad add into the equation. Deal with it, Amber. Unless you want to _force_ yourself into control and find Hiwatari yourself?'_

Amber fell silent, almost pouting, and Sayo smirked triumphantly. She knew mentioning the issue of taking over her body, which made the Phantom a bit uncomfortable for some reason that she was never told, would make Amber shut up. And it clearly worked yet again.

As she made her way outside and into the light of the early winter sunset, Sayo smiled gently, pausing to watch the sun blend the colors together around the clouds. She'd always loved watching the sunset and this evening was no exception. She glanced around, seeing all the students either walk toward the train station to get home or getting into their parent's cars on the way home, and happened to see Daisuke walking in the direction of the train with two girls with brown eyes. She recognized one as Risa, only because she'd heard her earlier cooing over 'the handsome Phantom Dark' in class, and the other as Riku, who she'd watched on the field. She was a great athlete and Sayo thought about joining them, but noticed the cheerful smile on Daisuke's face at the two girls and decided against it. She was still new to the school, after all, and even if people were attracted to her like a magnet, that only happened after a few weeks and they'd gotten used to her acting strange. So instead, Sayo walked alone to the station, her eyes straying to the sunset a few times and her mind straying to thoughts of the blue-haired boy with his mysterious aura.


	5. Chapter 5

When Daisuke got home, he went straight to his mother and grandfather at Dark's requesting demand. Just like his other half, though, Daisuke was also curious about Sayo and why Dark felt an odd sensation from her. He thought she was a nice girl and that it'd be great to know her more. But she _did_ have moments where he couldn't help but think she might have a counter-part like he had. So, because of all this, Daisuke decided to see if his grandfather and mother would have an idea of how to figure out the mystery of Sayo Aisaka.

"Sayo Aisaka, you say?" Daiki repeated with a surprised blink. He rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "Hmmm... No, I don't recall hearing or reading about her. You're sure that's her name? You didn't hear wrong?"

Daisuke shook his head. "I'm sure, grandpa." he replied, "So, there really isn't anything about her, then?" Daiki nodded and the ruby-eyed boy sighed heavily. "Well, it's not like I can just _ask_ Ms. Aisaka. I mean, I could be wrong and then she might think I'm strange."

_"Hey, I've got an idea,_" Dark piped up, his voice grinning, _"Why don't I go visit her and _I_ can ask her myself. That way, I can see her again and if our hunch was wring, you can still talk to her at school and not worry about what she thinks of you. It's a win-win!"_

Eyes trained on the floor and his mind reeling with the pros and cons of Dark's idea, Daisuke gave it some thought. He couldn't really see much wrong with it- save for the annoyance Dark would cause Sayo from his flirting- and the red-head wouldn't have to deal with much awkwardness with her in they'd been wrong. It was _far_ from being fool-proof, but he couldn't think of any better ideas.

"Alright." Daisuke agreed after a minute, turning to walk up to his room.

"Where are you going, Dai?" Emiko asked fro her seat on the couch. Daisuke gave her a confident smile, laughing slightly as he waved his hand to her.

"I'm going to pay Ms. Aisaka a visit for Dark. He's going to find out more about her. I'll be back later." he explained casually before disappearing up the stairs. '_Dark, you aren't going to joke around with Ms. Aisaka, right? She _already_ doesn't like you much; I don't need anything else to happen that might be in the way of school for me. So don't do anything _I_ wouldn't!_'

He could hear Dark chuckle. "_Daisuke, you don't seem to have much faith in me. Don't worry. Tonight, I'll simply find out if she has anything special about her. Well, aside from having that cute attitude, of course._" he assured his Tamer with an amused smirk in his words. Daisuke groaned silently and hung his head a bit, but took out his picture of Risa from his desk, glancing at it.

Once Dark was in control of the body, he called for With and he flew out of Daisuke's window and toward Sayo's home, grinning to himself in anticipation.

* * *

"That's _one_ day of school down. Now to only get through another two hundred more and I'm safe for another year." Sayo sighed heavily, flinging her bookbag onto her bed as she began to change out of her school uniform. Amber laughed in the back of her mind.

_"As long as you have _me_, you'll _never_ be safe in school, dearie."_ she teased playfully. Sayo rolled her eyes but nodded nonetheless. _"Anyway, it's not that bad this time around, right? I mean, you got some really interesting people in your classes. The two people who are the hosts for The Black Wings are in your school! And the guy with Krad is a little cutie, too, don'cha think?"_

Sayo felt heat creep onto her face at the mention of the blue-haired genius and she feverishly shook her head. "Amber, you watch _way_ too many teenage movies. I barely know Hiwatari, let alone know him enough to think he's cute or anything. Right now, he's just my classmate. Nothing more. Besides, you probably only want me to get closer to him so _you _can get closer to Krad, right?"

Her other half fell silent, probably embarrassed that Sayo had guessed correctly. The girl chuckled and rolled her eyes in amusement, tossing on a ratty t-shirt over a pair of sports shorts. "That's exactly what I thought." she laughed, pinning her hair up with an Asian bobby pin. She paused, staring at her reflection in her body-length mirror with a thoughtful frown.

_"What's wrong, Sayo?"_

"It's probably nothing, but... For some reason, Niwa reminds me a bit of Dark... I'm not sure why, or what it is about him that makes me think of Dark, but... Niwa has this thing about him that's a lot like Dark." She cupped her fingers around her chin, thinking hard. But the more she thought about it, the more she got confused. The two were completely opposite- Dark was a Thief, tall, and confident. Niwa was kind, friendly, had red, spiky hair and almost a foot shorter than Dark. They couldn't be more apart from each other!

_"Well, Daisuke _does_ house Dark, so there's gonna be _some_thing that's familiar between the two."_ Amber added in, trying to sound innocent. Sayo rolled her eyes in annoyance and grunted under her breath, giving up on the confusing dilemma. _"Hey, Sayo, can I come out for a bit? You've been in control for like, almost a month. I want some fresh air!"_

Normally, Sayo wouldn't allow her to come out because she didn't like the risk of having someone find out, but living by herself and being in her room had its advantages a lot of the time. So she nodded and closed her eyes, relaxing until she could see the faint blood red glowing in her mind that she recognized as Amber, and felt the uncomfortable familiarity of her body being taken over by Amber. Her black hair cascaded out of the bobby pin and grew down to her elbows and the blonde tint darkened to fire-red. The only thing between the Tamer and Phantom that was the same was the eye color.

Now, looking to be around nineteen years old, Amber stood and laughed in happiness, flipping her long hair over one shoulder. A delighted grin tugged at the Phantom's tanned lips and she blinked her mischievous amber eyes, almost preening herself in the mirror.

"Now _this_ is more like it!" she giggled, running her hands down her sides. "Ugh, Sayo, darling, how can you _wear_ this kind of clothing for bed? It's so.. boy-ish!" she complained lightly as she tied the shirt up around her hips.

_"Hey, if you don't like the stuff I wear, then gimme back my body!"_ Sayo argued in a huff. Amber laughed and twirled in a circle, her arms out wide.

"Heck no! I'm finally outside! I forgot just how nice the real world was." she sighed happily. She heard a soft fluttering outside the balcony and stopped twirling, her eyes narrowed with caution. She immediately went into burglar mode, turning around slowly as the doors oepned a bit. But the moment her eyes laid on the tall figure, smirking in surprised triumph and his arms crossed, she went slack and blinked widely.

"Looks like I didn't have to ask anything." Dark chuckled. "You came out _for_ me. But _who_, I have to wonder, are you exactly?" He stepped closer to Amber, his strides slow and measured, and his amethyst eyes seemed to scrutinize her carefully. She cocked a hip at him, raising an eyebrow, saying nothing. "You certainly look like Sayo, but I'm sure that's not _your_ name. Perhaps I could have it? After all," Dark gave her a light wink, his smirk back on his face. "I enjoy knowing the names of beautiful girls. It makes it easier to ask them out."

Amber let out a flirtatious laugh, flipping her hair once again. "Oh? Is that _all_ you'd want my name for? Just to ask me out? Wouldn't you think that's a bit rude and too straight-forward of you... _Phantom Dark_?" she grinned, walking toward him until there was only a few inches of space between them. Sayo gasped and stammered angrily.

_"Amber, don't you _dare_ do anything with him! He's just a flirt! He goes after girls for the fun of it!"_ Sayo shouted inside their head. Amber merely frowned and rolled her eyes, ignoring her Tamer's complaints and arguments. Dark put his hands on his hips and watched Amber step closer to him, looking curious of what she was doing. Amber grinned some more and looked up at him.

"Say, now that you know that Sayo's my Tamer..." she started, feigning interest. "Don't you think it'd be fair to tell or even _show_ me who _your_ Tamer is? After all, you're supposed to be a gentleman, right? Gentlemen would _never_ keep secrets from women and you're one of the best gentlemen out there."

An eyebrow raised on Dark's handsome face at her question and he chuckled, beginning to get wary of Amber. "You certainly know a lot about me. If you know that I have a Tamer in the first place, then maybe you can figure out who he is." The wink he gave her then was more cool and calculating than playful, but Amber decided to dismiss it. "The prize, if you get it right, can be anything you want."

Amber grinned wider at that, intrigued. "Anything, you say? Hmmm, that sounds promising." she chuckled, tapping her fingers against her chin. "So if I get it right, then you'd tell me how to get closer to Krad?"

Dark's eyes changed a bit at that, from slightly teasing to guarded, like he didn't like what she was saying. "Krad? Why exactly are you interested in _him_? Do you _know_ him?" he asked her, his voice quiet and mildly curious. Amber shook her head a bit.

"Not really, but that's why I wanna get closer to him. I read about him. He sounds really powerful and from what I've seen, he's also _very_ good-looking." she replied nonchalantly. Her grin became determined and cocky. "So, if I tell you that I think Daisuke Niwa is your Tamer, you'll tell me about Krad, right?" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. Dark's face fell into one of hardness and on the edge of getting into a fight.

"Who _are_ you?" he demanded, his tone just as hard. "How do you know so much of me and Krad? Is Sayo telling you to say all this, or are you the mastermind behind it?"

With a giggle, Amber began to saunter around the room, hands clasped behind her back with one leg swinging ahead of the other in a slow-moving dance of sorts. "You're implying that I'm evil, aren't you, Phantom Dark?" she asked him lightly, glancing at him as she moved around. His expression stayed hard. "Well, I'm _not_. I'm simply a being who enjoys having fun and will do anything to do so. And before you ask, _no_, I don't hurt Sayo in the process. In fact, she keeps me in her mind most of the time. I suppose it's so that I don't do anything damaging to anyone she knows or her reputation. I'm not sure, though. Next time you see her, you can ask." She stopped walking around the room and turned fully to Dark, giving him her own playful yet cunning wink. "And you're certainly as hot as I read as well. Unfortunately for you, though, I'm only interested in Krad, so you'll have to find some _other_ girl to flirt with."

She walked over to him, amused by the shocked and almost furious look on his face, and reached up to him, pressing her lips to his. As she did, she allowed Sayo back in control of her body, and when Dark realized that it was Sayo now, he put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a slight kiss in return. But she snapped her eyes open at the touch and pushed away from him, her eyes wide with shock and dismay. Dark looked back at her with amusement and put a single hand on his waist.

"Pervert! _God_!" Sayo spat, the vicious tone being ruined by the blush on her cheeks. Dark chuckle and smiled slightly.

"I'm not the one who kissed first, remember." he told her with a small chuckle, then became serious suddenly. "But that girl... Who _is_ she exactly? And why is she so interested with Krad?"

Sayo sighed heavily and turned away from him, undoing the knot Amber had put into her shirt. "How should _I_ know that stuff? Amber's always been into the weird things, ever since I can remember." She paused, lifting her head with a blink then turned her head to look at Dark curiously. "Was she right? Is your Tamer _really_ Niwa?"

Dark chuckled and smiled mysteriously, stepping backward toward her open balcony doors. "That's for yourself to figure out on your own. I can't let just _any_one find out my alternate identity, you know." he told her calmly, then suddenly, large black wings appeared on his back and in a flash of black feathers, he disappeared from her landing, leaving only the trace of wind and the feeling of confusion and frustration behind. Sayo growled under her breath at him, rolling her eyes, but hesitantly brushed her fingertips against her lips, still feeling the tingle of Dark's kiss there. She knew it was Dark she'd kissed, but she had the feeling that there was something more to him than just the Phantom Thief. Maybe Amber's hunch was _right_. Maybe Dark's Tamer _was_ Daisuke Niwa...

Speaking of Amber... Sayo scowled and sent a spark of anger toward her counterpart, ready to completely flip out at the older girl.


	6. Chapter 6

After a good half hour of lecturing Amber on not flirting with Dark and acting all weird with him, Sayo finally slipped into bed, almost instantly falling asleep. Normally, she had no dreams, but this night, she had a strange one. She was in pure darkness, like she usually was when she allowed Amber control of her body, but this time, instead of seeing a faint blood-red light, she saw a distant figure. Sayo blinked, trying to strain her eyes to see the person better, but couldn't. The person remained blurry to her and she frowned, annoyed by it.

"Hello? Who are you?" she called out, starting to walk toward them in hopes of finding out who they were. But with each step she took, it was like she was on a treadmill. The person remained where they were and suddenly, they turned around to look at Sayo. She stopped in her tracks, startled by the familiar face of who appeared to be herself, but a few years older. "H-hello...?" she repeated, this time wary and quieter. The girl took a few steps toward Sayo, her face expressionless yet still gentle somehow.

"Don't get discouraged, Sayo Aisaka," the woman said, her voice airy and calm. Sayo raised her eyebrows in confusion at her. "I know all about you. And all you want is someone who understands you; understands what you go through and who knows what it's like to be special and have another half."

"Yeah... Who _are_ you?" Sayo asked again, crossing her arms and keeping away from the woman just in case. She also wished that she could figure out who this person _was_, because it obviously wasn't really Sayo from the future. That'd just be too sci-fi for her to handle. The woman smiled then and chuckled softly.

"Who I am is no one important right now. Just listen to my words, Sayo Aisaka. That boy, Daisuke Niwa, is indeed the Tamer of Phantom Dark. And the same goes with Satoshi Hiwatari and Krad. I cannot reveal everything to you, but I _will_ warn you that all of them will play very important roles in your life for the next year." Sayo opened her mouth, but the woman held a hand up for silence. "Which roles they play all depend on you, Sayo Aisaka. I am not permitted to tell you anything else but this: Not everything is as it is and will seem. Pick your friends carefully and wisely."

Sayo gave the woman a confused look, trying to pick apart her words to figure out what they meant, and scratched the back of her head in wonder. "Uh... I don't really get it. Are you like... me and Amber combined or something?" she asked in puzzlement. The woman chuckled once again and walked over to Sayo, showing that her face was a reminder of Sayo's mother. Sayo gasped lightly, her eyes widening in shock at the identical blonde-tinted hair that she'd gotten from her mother. The woman leaned over to her and gently kissed her forehead then pulled back and looked down at Sayo.

"Who I am is not important now. When the time is just right, I will tell you. Until then, do as I say and choose your friends carefully," she replied quietly with a small smile. Sayo stared up at her for a moment before sighing heavily and nodding.

"Alright. Fine. But you better tell me who you really are next time I see you." She paused, thoughtful. "Where is this, anyway? Am I having a dream? Or did I like, pass out or something?"

"This is nowhere. Just a blank space you created in your sleep," the woman told her with a light laugh. "Now, leave and rest. You have a long and eventful school day ahead of you."

And with one simple gesture of her hands, Sayo was thrusted into nothing-ness, waking up to the sounds of her radio alarm playing really cheesy rock music. She groaned tiredly and rubbed a hand over her face and through her tangled hair, blinking herself awake. Glancing over to her alarm and turning it off, she thought back to the cryptic answers the woman in her dream thing gave her. She sighed heavily and shook her head, slipping out of bed to get ready for school.

"God, why do I attract people who never give me straight-out answers...?" she muttered under her breath with a yawn.

* * *

There was a small note inside Sayo's shoe locker. Blinking in confusion, she picked it up and opened it, reading the neat Japanese written on the stiff paper.

_We both want to know more. _

_ Meet me on the front steps outside the main building after school._

_ I hope you decide to come._

Sayo stared at the words and tried to figure out who could've written it. It seemed way too formal for Niwa to've written it and she didn't really think Dark would leave her such a note. She was still too new to Azumano Junior to be able to think of anyone else, so she was left to ponder it for the rest of the day.

_"Maybe it was Satoshi!"_ Amber squealed in excitement, causing Sayo to frown and mentally raise an eyebrow at her other half. _"What? It could be him! Who's to say it _isn't_?"_

_'You only hope it's Hiwatari so that you'll have a chance to finally meet Krad,'_ Sayo replied in her head with exasperation. But she thought about it. _'Then again, he _does_ seem like someone who'd write that formally and there's a chance that the woman from last night was right...'_

_"Woman? What woman from last night? There wasn't any woman in the room,"_ Amber said, sounding curious and cautious at the same time. Sayo jolted at that and shook her head as she walked into her homeroom.

_'Never mind. It's nothing,'_ she reassured the girl in her mind. Then she noticed the red, spiky hair sitting at one of the seats and curiously went over to Daisuke, tilting her head at him in wonder. He realized someone was looking at him and raised his head from whatever he'd been working on and blinked, smiling kindly at her.

"Oh. Good morning, Miss Aisaka. Did you have a good sleep?" he asked her warmly, closing his book and looking at her properly. Sayo continued to look curiously at him, her head still tilted to one side. After a few long seconds, Daisuke began to get nervous, obviously wondering if she was alright. "Uh, is everything okay, Miss Aisaka?" he asked her, his smile becoming weak.

She shook her head finally and sighed a little, sliding into the seat beside him despite it not being her assigned home-room desk. "I just don't get it," she commented, chin in hand as she kept her eyes on Daisuke. He looked at her in confusion. "I mean, you and Dark look _nothing_ alike. How could you and him be one? I always thought Tamers looked like their other halves, like Amber looks like me a bit. But _you_." She shook her head again, clearly frustrated from trying to understand it. Daisuke went pale a bit and opened his mouth to protest, but Sayo sent him a wry look. "Don't even _try_ denying it any more, Niwa. Dark visited me again last night and from what he said before he left, he might as well have told me you were his Tamer." From the nervous expression the red-head was giving her, she smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, though. I won't _tell_ anyone. Who'd believe me, anyway? The physical evidence is enough to prove that it shouldn't be possible. Your secret's safe with me."

Daisuke seemed to think it over for a moment before smiling in relief and nodding, agreeing. "Right. Thanks, Miss Aisaka," he told her with a light laugh. Sayo smiled back and nodded as well. He leaned toward her and smiled a bit more. "So, can you tell me why Miss Amber is so interested with Krad? I mean, from what I remember, she seemed almost obsessed with him and she hasn't met him before. And why does she look like a taller and red-haired version of you?"

Sayo laughed in surprise at Daisuke's sudden questions and shrugged, playing with the collar of her uniform shirt. "Not sure why she's into Krad so much, really. She thinks he's cute and powerful. That's the extent of my knowledge," she told him casually. "And as for why we look similar, I can't answer that either. Mainly cuz I'm not sure. I don't know much about _anything_ involving Amber and phantom thieves. It's been this way since I can remember. She's more of a big sister to me now."

"Well, what about your parents?" Daisuke asked, looking at her with interest. He'd never heard of a female phantom thief- his mother being a good prime example of such a thing not existing- so to know of one like Sayo, he wanted to learn anything he could.

At the mention of her mother and father, however, Sayo's face clouded over with sadness and immediately, Daisuke regretted asking her. He guessed something happened to them when she was little. Sayo picked at her book bag strap, a melancholic smile on her face.

"I don't remember them..." she said softly, her eyes on the floor between their feet. "They died when I was really little and I don't remember or know how they did. It could've been an accident, or someone could've killed them for some reason. I'm not sure, either way. Amber pretty much raised me."

Daisuke couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Well, if Miss Amber did that for you, then I'm glad you didn't turn out like _she_ did," he joked lightly, seeing a faint smile of amusement flicker onto her face. "I'm sorry about your parents, though. I'm sure they were good people." he told her softly. Sayo nodded and smiled up at him.

"So, what's it like to be the Tamer for Phantom Dark, huh? Do you get far with your crush?" she teased him, laughing when he groaned a bit and practically sweatdropped in embarrassment. Just then, the bell rang that told them that homeroom was beginning and Sayo chuckled a bit as she stood, hiking her bag up onto her left shoulder. She paused to look at Daisuke again.

"Hey, if it's not too soon, maybe you could come over to my house tomorrow after school?" she asked him. Daisuke blinked and thought about it, then nodded with his charming smile.

"Sure. That sounds great. Meet at the front steps outside the school?" he said, receiving a confirming nod from Sayo. "Alright. I'll let Mom know tonight and I'll see you then."

"Okay, cool," Sayo agreed with a grin before nodding to him and making her way to her seat in the back. But before she could sit, the teacher called out to her from the front of the class.

"Miss Aisaka, it seems that when I assigned Niwa to show you around, I wasn't aware that he's not in very many of your classes. It's difficult to have someone show you around but not have them in your class, so I'll find you another guide. Can you think of someone like that?" he asked her, making her go red from embarrassment and blink widely at him.

"Um... not really?" she said in a small voice. The teacher shook his head with a smile and started glancing around, looking for someone to pick to help her. But a low, calm voice that Sayo could hear melting ice from spoke up, surprising not just her, but everyone in the class.

"I'll do it, Mr. Kumori. She's in most of my classes, so it wouldn't be a problem," Satoshi Hiwatari offered. Sayo turned her head to look at the blue-haired boy sitting behind her own desk, and he glanced at her, a small smirk of amusement crossing his face for a split second before disappearing. Her mind crashed on itself and she found herself thinking back to the note in her locker and how Amber had hoped it was him who'd written it. For a short moment while her mind crashed into itself, she actually hoped the same thing. He was mysterious enough that she was interested in him already. She _knew_ it made no sense, but she was also happy that he'd offered to guide her around.

Mr. Kumori was silent for a second before nodded hesitantly. "Well, alright. Thank you, Hiwatari," he said finally, then dropped the subject as he put his attention to the attendance. Sayo slowly and almost numbly went to sit in her seat, unable to tear her gaze away from Satoshi, resulting in her almost falling onto the floor. Luckily, Amber had managed to snap her back to the present by letting out a loud yelp of excitement, for once meaning to help her Tamer than just for fun, and Sayo clumsily landed on her seat, earning a blush from herself and a small chuckle of amusement from Satoshi.

"Uh... thanks for offering to show me around," she finally managed to stammer out after learning how to talk again. Satoshi nodded and picked up the book he'd been reading.

"I don't mind. Besides, I get to know you a bit more now..." he told her, and when he looked at her, she could see the gold glint in his eyes again along with a mysterious gleam, making her blush harder and stare into her lap, wondering why she felt so shy and awkward around him all of a sudden. She still didn't know him any more than before. Maybe it was because she now knew that he was the Tamer for Krad, who Amber wanted to meet, and her other half's eagerness was somehow being thrown into Sayo's own feelings. Didn't make much sense, but it seemed to do for now.

She'd just have to wait until either their break or after school- hoping it really _was_ Satoshi, boy wonder, who had written that note- to talk to the bluette male and get some answers.


	7. Chapter 7

_"No, no! You put the 'x' on the _other_ side, Sayo! Man, you _really_ suck at math, y'know that?"_

Sayo scowled and sighed under her breath, erasing the equation she'd written over about a hundred times already, and started to write it again the way Amber had said. "You are a pain in my butt, y'know that?" she grumbled out loud. Normally, she never had to get help from Amber, but today, after being seated beside Satoshi, she _just_ couldn't concentrate. She wondered if it was because of the fact that she knew about him and Krad, or because he was so darn cute when he finished his work a half hour early and read his book. She'd _have_ the time to figure out the answer to those questions if it weren't for the darn math equations!

"Having trouble?" that already too-familiar low voice asked, sounding amused yet again. Sayo turned her head and saw a pair of calculating ice-blue eyes looking right at her. She blushed a bit but managed to weakly nod. Satoshi leaned closer to her and his eyes scanned her work, a small smirk of amusement slipping onto his lips. He pointed to the one she had just erased. "You have this one definitely wrong. You should keep the 'x' on the left side, not the right." he told her, pulling away to give Sayo a whiff of some kind of spicy scent. She blinked, her brain fuzzy and out of whack, and finally glanced at what he was talking about. It was the equation Amber had 'helped' her with! She growled under breath in annoyance at her other half, dying to wring the girl's neck as she heard the echoing shrieks of laughter from inside her mind.

"When we get home... I _swear_..." she muttered under her breath, shaking her head as she began to erase the workings yet _again_. To Satoshi, she smiled and said, "Thanks. I'm not normally this bad, but I can't seem to concentrate today for some reason." _Mainly because you're incredibly good-looking and I know about you and Krad and all I want right now is to hold you._ She blushed when those words formed in her head, looking away from his cool blue gaze.

"It's alright. Everyone has their days, right? No need to feel bad for having an off day." he told her with a slight chuckle. He nodded his head a bit toward the math sheet that had been passed out. "Would you like some more help or do you think you can manage by yourself?"

_"Get more help; get more help!_" Amber exclaimed excited yet again, and Sayo cringed a bit at the level of yelling her other half was doing in that second period alone. She was going to get a headache by the time class ended! Instead, however, Sayo grinned sheepishly to Satoshi and shook her head.

"No, I think I can deal with it myself. Thanks, though." she told him, and tried to return to her work. But that was impossible when she had Amber screaming in her ear and her brain turning back to his cool, deep, mysterious eyes. It seemed like he was hiding things and never intended to tell _anyone_ and Sayo had the urge to want _her_ to be the one he told things to. Satoshi turned to sit properly and she could see him smiling slightly in the corner of her eyes.

"Alright. Well, I guess that must mean that Amber is going to help you, am I right?"

He had said it so casually that Sayo didn't really know what he'd said in the first place, so she nearly opened her mouth to reply. But luckily, Amber had heard him properly and caught Sayo before she could agree. The female Tamer managed to blink widely in shocked confusion toward Satoshi, who was looking at her from the corner of _his_ eyes.

"W-who's Amber? I-I don't know any Amber." she stammered with a nervous laugh, "What are you talking about, Hiwatari?"

The boy genius chuckled softly, making sure to not cause a scene regarding him and Sayo. "Don't worry. You don't have to act around _me_. I know about your relation to Amber and her knowledge of myself and Krad. You're safe with me, Ms. Aisaka."

_"Ooooh! He _knows_ we know! This is awesome! We can finally hang out with them and I can finally meet my Krad!"_ Amber squealed with excitement in Sayo's mind, making her visibly cringe. Satoshi raised an eyebrow at her elegantly and she gave him a weak smile, dismissing her pain with a wave of her hand.

"U-um... It's nothing." she told him, then leaned closer to him, lowering her voice a bit. "But... how did you know about Amber? I mean, I get you're a genius and all, but how'd you know she was _my_ other half? It could've been any other girl in this school or anywhere else. What made you think it was _me_?"

Satoshi gave her a mysterious smile, turning his head to look at Sayo fully, causing her to suck in a sharp breath at the deepness of his blue eyes and her heart to pound hard in her chest. "I just had a hunch. But you've just confirmed it for me. Thank you." he said jokingly with a slight laugh. Sayo blushed a bit and scratched her temple lightly, grinning nervously at him.

"R-right.. I'll know better than to _not_ see through that next time..." she said, clearing her throat. "Anyway, you have to promise not to tell anyone, Hiwatari." she told him, her tone a bit firm. "I realize that no one really knows about Amber, but if word leaks out, then I'm probably gonna be-"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Satoshi assured her, his tone warming up a bit. Sayo smiled more and nodded happily. Then, like a switch, Satoshi looked almost... _embarrassed_ _and shy_. He looked down at his book, which he'd laid down to help Sayo with her math equations. "I was wondering... Would you like to spend some time together today after school, Ms. Aisaka?"

_"Say yes! Say _yes_!"_ Amber shouted inside Sayo's head and it was a miracle that she didn't cringe this time from the loud volume her other half was using. _"C'mon, you _have_ to say yes! Not just cuz this'll be my chance to meet Krad, but cuz Hiwatari was so nice about knowing about me and promising to not say anything! Be nice, Sayo!"_

'For once, you're being reasonable, Amber.' Sayo agreed mentally before nodding to Satoshi. "Sure, that sounds nice. Why don't you come over to my house, though? Unless that's a problem, then we can-"

"No, your house is fine. I can arrive around... Let's say, eight thirty?" Satoshi suggested, no longer looking or acting shy and embarrassed. He had returned to his cool and almost stoic behavior, his blue eyes glancing over at her mysteriously. Sayo nodded and grinned impishly at how happy she felt. She couldn't wait to have Satoshi over. She couldn't wait to know him better. She couldn't wait to have him to herself for once instead of seeing his 'fangirls' surrounding him all the time at lunch and break.

At those thoughts, Sayo's grin faltered and she quickly looked away from Satoshi, her heart pounding hard in her chest. 'Amber, stop thinking about this stuff! It's making _me_ think about Hiwatari like that and I don't want to!' she shouted mentally at the older girl in her mind. She could almost see Amber blinking widely in mild surprise.

_"Sayo... I'm not thinking about anything like that. If I were, it'd be about Krad, not Hiwatari,"_ the phantom replied, her tone puzzled and yet firm. _"I'm not a cradle-snatcher, girl. The thoughts on Hiwatari are all your _own_."_ Sayo closed her eyes and pictured Amber in her mind, who was now grinning devilishly and teasing. _"I guess you've got a crush on Hiwatari! Awww, how cute! Sayo and Satoshi!Wonder if he feels the same! If he does, then that'll get me that much closer to Krad!"_ Amber squealed in excitement and Sayo scowled, shaking her head in frustration.

'I do _not_ like Hiwatari like that!' she protested mentally, tempted to wave her hands in the air as well. 'I mean, he's nice and good-looking, but I _just_ met him! And we both know I don't fall for people that easily! So shaddup!' Despite this, however, she could feel her cheeks burning up at the thought of Satoshi liking her romantically. She sighed heavily and tried to forget about it, concentrating harder than usual on her math, hoping it would distract her from the snickering Amber was giving her.

* * *

He was watching her from the corner of his eyes. He could tell she was talking to her other half in her mind from the way the muscles in her mouth and body twitched. Obviously she still a lot to learn about hiding her actions from the public like he had.

_"Just a bit longer, Master Satoshi."_ Krad chuckled with malice in the back of his mind. _"You won't be disappointed. Amber, from what I know... Would do _anything_ to be around me. Even rat out her own host."_

Satoshi let out an inaudible sigh, closing his eyes as he leaned his elbow on his desk and rested his chin onto his hand. He still didn't like the concept of using Ms. Aisaka this way, but it was the only way to learn more about Amber Aisaka and find out just what had happened to her in the Hikari family. Krad let out another evil-sounding chuckle, as if to reassure his Tamer.

_"Oh, don't worry, Master Satoshi. Your precious Sayo Aisaka won't be hurt _too_ much. Just enough that we can get what we need. If she doesn't agree to help, however... We'll deal with that when and if it comes up. For now, she's safe."_

Satoshi sighed once more, his mind thoroughly distracted from anything he could do now. All he could think about was ways to not hurt Sayo in the ways he planned to get Amber out in the open. If the older girl was anything like Dark, it would be easy. In fact, he had started thinking of a good plan already. He could only hope that it would work...


	8. Chapter 8

After what seemed to be days but was actually only a few hours, the school let out for lunch. Sayo let out a sigh, relaxing as she finished patting dry her hair. Swimming was normally her favorite activity, but she quickly realized how irritating it was when there was some noisy teacher telling her to 'keep the head up' or 'not to spray so much' over and over again. Just as he'd said, Sayo noticed, Satoshi was indeed in nearly all her classes. She _also_ noticed that he hadn't joined in with the lesson.

_"_Ha_! I bet you wanted to see Hiwatari in swim trunks, didn't you?"_ Amber teased her Tamer with a playful laugh. Sayo scowled,, but the angry effect was ruined from the light pink on her cheeks at the tiny thought. Amber laughed again. _"I _knew_ it! It doesn't matter if you barely know the boy, you can't help liking who you like!"_

Sayo did a rush job of putting her uniform on, not wanting to miss much of lunch, choosing to ignore her other side. She tossed the school towel she had to borrow- since she hadn't known about the rules of using their own towels- into the temporary hamper, then dashes out of the girl's change room, only to stop in her tracks.

"Hiwatari? Why aren't you gone to lunch?" she asked, blinking in surprise. She mentally patted herself on the back for managing to sound mildly curious and not scared shitless like she _really_ felt. Satoshi gave her a hint of a tiny smile as he pushed himself off the wall to walk alongside Sayo, exiting the swimming area.

"I figured you'd enjoy some company for lunch instead of being by yourself." he explained calmly, pushing the door open for Sayo to let her into the cafeteria. She smiled up at him, her heart beating hard in ehr chest at the sight of his cool and collected smile.

"That's sweet of you. Thanks." she told him with a nod.

_"What's that I smell? Why, it's none other than the scent of _lurve_!"_ Amber howled with laughter, causing Sayo to scowl in annoyance and turn her head from Satoshi so he couldn't see it.

"Give it a rest, Amber...! You're really starting to get on my nerves!" she hissed under her breath. Amber clicked her tongue, feigning sadness.

_"Aww... Am I upsetting you? I guess I should be careful, then, or you might make Hiwatari to sic Krad on me!"_ The older teen paused, making Sayo even more frusrtated. _"Actually, that sounds like a _great_ idea! Let's get Krad out!"_

"Amber, I _swear_... if you don't stop-" Sayo started, cutting her sentence short when she saw a familiar head of spiky, red hair. Immediately, she perked up and glanced over to Satoshi, who'd been watching her with hidden interest and amusement. "We should sit with Niwa today," she suggested brightly with a smile, gesturing to Daisuke, "I mean, you guys are friends, right? Friends should together at lunch!"

And with that, Sayo practically dragged the calm genius to Daisuke's table, causing the blue-haired boy to almost look startled then follow her. He never realized how much Sayo reminded him of Risa Harada, only not as fangirly and bubbly. The thought brought the tiniest twitch of a smile onto his lips, thought he'd never admit to it.

* * *

_"Looks like you have company!_" Dark teased playfully in a sing-song voice. Daisuke jolted a bit and looked up. Sure enough, that Sayo Aisaka in his homeroom who Dark wouldn't stop talking about, was smiling down at him. To top it off, Satoshi Hiwatari was _with_ her!

Daisuke smiled nervously at the two, closing the History textbook he'd kept open for Dark, and glanced between them. "Oh, this is a surprise. Hello, Ms. Aisaka; hello, Hiwatari."

"Hey, Niwa." Sayo greeted him cheerfully. "You mind if Hiwatari and me sit with you? I saw you here by yourself and figured we'd sit."

_"_Well_, Sayo's a thoughtful girl, don't you think?"_ Dark chuckled lightly, _"C'mon, Daisuke. Don't forget your manners!"_

With a mental sigh of weariness aimed at the Phantom Thief in his mind, Daisuke put away the textbook and smiling, gestured for the two Tamers to sit. Sayo smiled more and took the chair on the redhead's left, putting her bento on the table.

"Thanks. I'm glad you don't mind having Hiwatari here, what with _Krad_ and everything." Sayo told him as Satoshi silently sat in the seat on Daisuke's right, her tone hushed at the mention of the blonde fallen angel. Although Satoshi kept his expression blank of his shock of her sudden comment, Daisuke nearly inhaled his rice the wrong way and choked, but he managed to cough and avoid losing breath over it.

"Niwa! Are you okay?" Sayo exclaimed, startled. She turned to Satoshi, looking worried. "Was it something I said?"

"We don't tend to speak about our other halves in public, even if it's with a quiet voice." Satoshi explained cooily, giving Daisuke, who'd recovered from his coughing attack, a tiny smirk of amusement. Sayo blinked for a moment then nodded in understanding.

"Oh. Sorry." she apologized sheepishly, mostly to the redhead. He smiled assuringly to her and waved his hand. "Anyway, can I ask just one more thing about Dark and Krad? Then I'll drop it."

"Sure, go ahead." Daisuke agreed with his smile. He could hear Dark chuckling in the back of his mind.

_"She probably wants to know when I'll visit her again. Careful- don't want her to fall for us _too_ fast."_ the suave Thief said lightly, and Daisuke made an inward sound of slight embarrassment.

'Dark, she said about you _and_ Krad. And besides, I don't _want_ Ms. Aisaka to fall for _either_ of us! I like Ms. Harada!' the redhead protested in his head, trying to discourage the amethyst-haired Phantom. The older teen merely laughed at Daisuke's proclaimation.

"Niwa? You okay?"

Daisuke blinked, snapping back to his conversation with Sayo. "Huh? Sorry. I was uh... distracted." he apologized. "What was your question again?"

"I asked how your curse thing makes you change." she repeated, her voice soft and curious, her gaze falling to the table, where her fingers played with her chopsticks. Daisuke blinked in curiosity at her, wondering why she wanted to know and if he should tell her.

_"Go ahead. Not like any of us has anything to lose with her knowing."_ Dark told his Tamer, his tone aloof and casual. _"Besides, she already has a clue to your transformation."_ At that, the reminder of earlier that konring sprang to his mind, recalling how Sayo had asked him about his progress with Risa. He smiled lightly and perked up a little, nodding to Sayo.

"Well, I'm not sure about Hiwatari, but _my_ change happens when I think about the person I like." Daisuke explained simply, looking a bit embarrassed at sharing his secret. He took a quick glance over to Satoshi, wondering if he was going to use that piece of information against him to capture Dark. But the commander seemed distracted by something in his bento- Daisuke wasn't sure if he actually cared about how he changed or not, though, and could only hope that he _didn't_.

He pulled out of his thoughts to smile at Sayo, momentarily forgetting his meal. "How about yiu, Ms. Aisaka?" he asked. She gave the redhead a puzzled look. "Well, is there a specific way you change into Ms. Amber?" he clarified. Sayo blinked as she realized what he meant, and raked her fingers through her hair in thought.

"Well, I'm not sure, honestly," she replied after a beat, "I mean, she's never done what Dark does to you- coming out what I think of the person I like." She paused and made an annoyed face, muttering, "Shut up, Amber."

"So you get along with your other half. Interesting..." Satoshi murmured, the first time since sitting with Daisuke. The red-eyed Tamer glanced at him with sympathy, knowing what he meant. He couldn't imagine not getting along with Dark in the way Hiwatari did with Krad.

"I guess you could say that," Sayo agreed, "But most times, Amber bugs the tar out of me with her constant whine about Krad." She sighed heavily and shook her head. "I really wish he'd come out already so she can meet him and quit annoying me about it." Under her breath, she muttered, "You so _do_ whine about him. And complain. And giggle like a schoolgirl. You're plain obsessed."

Sweatdropping a bit, Daisuke cracked a nervous smile, turning to look at Satoshi for back-up about Krad being released. "Uh... well, Krad isn't exactly... someone you or Ms. Amber should be alone with. He's uh..." He trailed off there, unsure of how to describe that blonde half of Satoshi's.

_"Cold; conniving; cruel; malicious; the devil. Take your pick- I got lots more to choose from."_ Dark suggested offhandedly. Daisuke gaped mentally at him.

'_Stop_ it, Dark! You shouldn't scare Ms. Aisaka with that kind of talk!' he scolded the Thief in shock. He could pretty much see Dark shrugging in their mind.

_"If she can handle Amber talking about Krad all the time, I'm sure she can handle nearly anything else. Sayo's a strong girl... don't you think?"_

'Yeah, it seems like it...' Daisuke hesitantly agreed, looking at Sayo. For the first time, he noticed how her light amber eyes shone with both innocence and determination. Without the determination, she would probably seem younger than his age, but because she had to deal with a being like Amber, she understood more things than normal and probably _went_ through things other fourteen year old girls never had to.

'But still...' he added with a slight frown. She didn't deserve going through this kind of life. She should be gossiping with other girls in her class about boys and clothes. She should be having unrestricted fun, not being cautious to avoid letting Amber out. At that thought, Daisuke decided to make sure she had lots of fun when she was with him, starting tomorrow at her house. It was the least he could do to make up for what Dark was putting her through with his flirting and such.

"What about you, Hiwatari?" Sayo asked, snapping Daisuke out of his thoughts and back to the conversation at hand. He looked over at Satoshi as the bluette thought about his answer. Finally, he only shrugged and took a small bite from his meal.

"I'm not really sure." he replied placidly. "I've never really thought about it before, but I wouldn't think it works like Niwa's does. Anyway," he added, pushing his seat back and collecting his food together, "I have some things I have to get done. Why don't you stay here and more acquainted with Niwa? I'm sure he could tell you more about things you'd like to know." And with that, Satoshi walked away, nearly getting to the lunchroom door before being bombarded with his 'fangirlss'. Sayo blinked after him and raised an eyebrow quizzitively but said nothing as she turned back to look at Daisuke, who was _also_ blinking after the blue-haired boy.

"He's nice, isn't he?" she said with a faint smile as she prodded her now-cold rice. "I mean, he offered to show me around and stuff... and even walked me here. I can see why he has fangirls glomping him."

_"Ah, looks like I have some competition!"_ Dark exclaimed with fake shock. Daisuke tilted his head only slightly, enough that Sayo couldn't see.

'What are you talking about, Dark? Competition for what?' he asked with confusion. Then it clicked in. 'You mean Ms. Aisaka likes Hiwatari?'

_"Seems like it."_ Dark replied, then chuckled. _"Looks like this is gonna be more fun than I thought. It's gonna be interesting, stealing Ms. Sayo's heart while trying to steal priceless antiques. Our schedule just got a little crazier, Daisuke."_

Mentally, Daisuke groaned and hung his head, wishing the Thief would just stop with his antics with girls already. And for some reason, thinking about Sayo liking Hiwatari... made his chest tighten just a little. Even before he could start thinking about why that happened, the bell rang and so, he got up along with sayo and began clearing the table of their food. Together, they walked to the door, where the other dozens of dozens of students were beginning to file out of and he apused, smiling at the black-haired Tamer.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow. I have my classes near the Art room." he told her and she nodded with her own smile.

"Alright. Don't forget that you're coming over to my house after school tomorrow, too, okay? I can show you how to make a Crazy Cake." she said with a giggle, causing Daisuke to look at her curiously, but he said nothing, assuming she'd tell him about the cake the next day. She waved to him, already starting to walk in the other way. "Anyway, I'll see you, Niwa! Bye!" she called out before getting lost in the sea of students. Daisuke remained where he was for another beat, then started walking to his next class, realizing his heart was still beating hard. Wondering why, again, he heard the beautiful and angelic voice of his Sacred Maiden behind him.

"Careful, Niwa! Wouldn't want you to get hurt on your way to class, now!" Risa giggled as she jogged past him, pausing long enough to send him a friendly little wave. He smiled, his cheeks heating up at the sweet concern she gave him, and faltered with his returnnig wave. But he understood _now_. Risa had been close to Sayo when he has said goodbye to the female Tamer and he didn't even realize, but it explained why his heart had beated so fast. He heard Dark clicking his tongue slowly in his mind.

_"Daisuke, you've got a lot to learn about ladies, you know that? If you _knew_, you'd ahve realized the truth by now."_ the Thief said in his smooth voice. Daisuke frowned in confusion but didn't comment on it, going inside his classoom.


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow. Okay. It's been like.. for_ever_ since my last update, I know. A lot of things have thwarted my imagination for this story for a long time like mid-terms at school, having to go to the hospital for being really sick and just some other personal things. I literally _just_ finished this chapter, however, and thought it would be good enough to last you guys for a little while so I can get back into my groove for this fic. :) I don't like taking so long for a single chapter, and hopefully it doesn't suck. I've gotten rusty at this plot, but I'm forcing myself to get through it, which actually works so I'm going to stop rambling on and on with excuses about the looooong delay and let you read on! :D**

* * *

He was sitting two rows in front of her. Meaning there was only a single seat between her and him. And today, the girl that sat between them was absent so she had a perfect view of the back of his head. She was supposed to be working on her math problems, but found herself glancing up every thirty seconds to watch him scribbling away at his own work. It wasn't like she was _meaning_ to do it; it just happened and she couldn't stop it.

Amber was laughing her head off and Sayo was growing annoyed with the squwaking, wiahing the Phantom girl would just shut up and stop teasing her about her so-called crush on the boy genius. She did _not_ like Hiwatari- not in a relationship way! She didn't know him well! It was impossible! There was _no_ way Sayo was going accept that fact!

_"But you totally do anyway!"_ Amber laughed, and Sayo could picture the older girl on the blank floor of the shared mind, rolling around in tearful laughter. Sayo felt her temple thobbing at the stupidity the teen was going through and had to wonder if she gotten a hold of coffee or something really sugary when her Tamer wasn't paying attention. _"But how else would you explain the fact that you go red around him and get random urges to always be close to him? Admit it, girl! You're either crushing really hard on Hiwatari or you're in love with him!"_ And the girl continued her laughing fit, getting on Sayo's nerves more now. She wasn't even paying attention to what was going on around her anymore, at least until the teacher rapped his ruler on her desk, making her jump and yelp in shock.

"Miss Aisaka, are you having fun in your little daydream over here? Or would you care to join us back on Earth, hmm?" he asked her with a frown. Sayo flushed with embarrassment and shuffled through her papers, after a glance of the chalkboard telling her that they were correcting the problems now. As she tried to figure out which one they were on, the teacher walked back to the front, muttering something about not being paid enough for acting like a babysitter, and she began fretting that she couldn't find it.

"Last one on the first page," a voice suddenly said to her and for a second, she looked up to see Satoshi with his head turned enough behind his back to give her a small, mysterious smile. Then he turned his attention back to the teacher, acting as if he hadn't done anything. Grateful for him, Sayo turned to the correct page and stood up, ready to recite the answer.

The next two classes went by in the same way with the exception of her very last class where the teacher excused her absent-mindedness for mistaking her for sick. But finally, after two long, _long_ hours, school had ended for the day. Sayo sighed to herself as she made her way through the hallways, trying to keep from getting jostled into the lockers or other people as the students crowded past her to get to their lockers and leave.

By the time she got to her own locker, Sayo felt like she had been beaten black and blue from the hard textbooks some guys were throwing around when she went past them. She expected Amber to have at least _some_ sympathy for her Tamer, but nope; she was busy laughing her head off from when one of the boys tossed his book too hard and hit himself in the head.

'_It wasn't _that_ funny, Amber,_' the girl scolded her Phantom with a frown, opening her locker and grabbing her jacket and slipping her book into it. Amber merely grinned inside their shared mind and rolled her eyes.

_"Why're you being so cranky, Sayo? The school day's finally over! You got Hiwatari coming over to the house later on tonight! And best of all, you get to see who wrote you that note now!"_ Amber exclaimed and suddenly, Sayo froze, unable to believe that she had actually forgotten about the note. She checked the time; she still had a few minutes before she was supposed to meet that person. Slamming closed her locker, the female Tamer cursed under her breath and made a run for the front entrance where she was supposed to wait for them, Amber laughing her head off as usual. Sayo had to check later on if that older girl had somehow gotten into sugar or coffee while she wasn't looking... It was the only explaination for her constant laughing attacks throughout the day.

On the way, the black-haired Tamer caught a glimpse of Satoshi headed out of the school, looking as composed and calm as ever. The sight momentarily blanked her mind and she playfully smacked his shoulder, smiling when he peered over at her with a raised eyebrow. She turned backward and giggled, waving at him.

"I'll see you tonight, Hiwatari!" she called out to him cheerfully before turning properly and running out of the doors, not seeing the small, mysterious smirk playing onto his lips.

"Yes.. tonight.." he murmured to himself, closing his eyes in his own amusement as he walked outside.

* * *

She had gotten there on time, so where was the person? They said after school in front of the mian building. That was where she was right now, waiting for the last ten minutes, starting to get cold. Sayo glanced around again, wondering if she hadn't seen someone walking toward her from the distance. But once again, she saw no one. She sighed heavily, closing her eyes wearily as she tightened her jacket around her body, trying to warm herself sun was nearly fully set and the wind had gotten much colder and sharper, much to Sayo's disagreement.

_"Hey... what if this was just a joke?_"Amber suddenly suggessted, sounding curious and a bit startled, like she just realized the idea. Sayo groaned and slapped her hand to her face, which was a bad idea since she then made her face sting from not just the cold but from the slap of her hand. She sighed heavily and was about to stand up from where she was sitting on the steps when she lurched forward a bit at a sudden weight being dropped onto her shoulders. She squeaked in shock and looked down with fright, thinking someone was trying to kidnap her. But it was a dark fabric, and even with it not done up, it was already warming her up.

"Sorry if I startled you," a low, monotone voice apologized with a mildly amused chuckle. Sayo felt her face flare red and was grateful for the darkened air around them so Satoshi didn't see her blushing. She kept silent as she tightened the jacket around her and looked up at the boy as he went down the steps in front of her. She stood up then, following him, realizing everything at that moment.

"You sent that note, didn't you?" she asked, though she already had a feeling it _was_ Satoshi. He said nothing, however, as he continued to walk, his back even eminating the cool air he always had around him. Sayo went on, trying to catch up with his fairly fast pace. "You want to know more about Amber and she wants to meet Krad or whatever. Do you mean you're actually going to let her meet him? Niwa said that he wasn't a good person! How can I trust him not to do anything bad?" She knew she was beginning to ramble, but at that moment, she really didn't care. She was just.. _confused_. And Satoshi not saying anything didn't help either. But then she realized that they were headed in the same direction as her house. Finally, Satoshi paused in his tracks, turned his head to the left and peered beack at Sayo, his ice blue eyes looking hard yet gentle at the same time.

"Did your parents leave anything behind for you? In your attic, perhaps. It may contain information on Amber that you might find interesting..." he told her in his mysterious tone again. Sayo was caught off guard by the question, but she shook it off to nod. She then began walking ahead of him, hearing him walking as well so she knew he was following her.

"I don't really go into the attic since it's kinda creepy up there- there's no light and the little light that shines into it from the main floor isn't enough," she explained, sounding casual and blasè. Behind her, Satoshi said nothing, but she knew he was listening. He never made a sound when he was listening to someone.

Neither of them spoke while they walked on. Sayo was still a bit too shocked over what had happened to say anything, and Satoshi was deep in thought, half dreading what was going to happen and half curious if there really _would_ be anything about Amber in the girl's home. Either way, he knew that _something_ was going to happen and Sayo may not see him the way again...

* * *

Twenty minutes later, both Tamers were kneeling in front of a dusty box full off old and yellow-tinted books of all sizes and shapes. Clearly, Sayo had never seen such a thing before since her eyes were bugged out and had been since they found the box and brought it down into her living room. Satoshi, however, was only a bit surprised at the sheer amount of books, but hid it easily like he always hid most of his emotions. He doubted that all of the tomes in the box were all about Amber, anyway. Most of them were probably stupid personal journals from her mother and father.

"So.. where do we start?" Say asked, rubbing her palms on her skirt, looking over to Satoshi for an answer. He looked back and then back down into the cardboard box, picking up a large sized book and opening it to a random page. He was met with scribbles he assumed was writing, but a type he couldn't read, so he passed it over to Sayo, who took it and glanced down at it. Her face scrunched up for a moment before her eyes widened a bit again in surprise. Satoshi immediately felt curious about what was in it and he watched her, waiting for her to speak.

_"It's probably just a diary from her mother, nothing interesting,"_ Krad sighed and Satoshi could pretty much see the blonde crossing his arms and scowling, wanting to have some sort of action occur. The Tamer sighed himself, but quietly, and continued to wait for Sayo to say or do something.

Finally, Sayo made a face that showed puzzlement and confusion. She raised an eyebrow at what she was reading then at Satoshi, frowning a bit. "Hiwatari... What's the Black Wings?" She handed him the book as he reached out for it at the mention of his family's sculpture. "It says something about how there was supposed to be three parts to it but one was too chaotic to be put into the Black Wings. Apparently, while Dark and Krad were sealed into the thing, the third was put into a baby." She paused, looking very confused now as Satoshi turned the pages, scanning the scribblings and little rough sketches. "I don't understand how a baby could house such a chaotic thing and a statue or whatever the Black Wing can't. Wouldn't the Wings thing be more stronger, thus being capable of holding the chaotic spirit?"

"You'd be surprised at what the human body can endure, Miss Aisaka," Satoshi murmured with a humorless chuckle, thinking about Krad and the pain he always went through for the changes between Tamer and Phantom. Sayo sighed heavily and shrugged, as if not really wanting to understand the logic at that moment.

_"Oh, Master Satoshi, allow me to assist you in your search about Amber. My way will be much faster, as well,"_ the blonde Phantom cackled and Satoshi dropped the book suddenly, gripping his chest in pain. He tried to keep Krad inside, but the suddeness of the blonde's pushes to escape didn't give the commander much time to manage a defense and now it was too late. Krad was going to have control much faster and easier than usual and Satoshi didn't like it.

Sayo cried out in shock and concern when she saw Satoshi lurch forward. She stood up and went to him, trying to hold him up by his shoulders to no avail. He kept falling foward inch by inch, sweat trickling down his neck and temples, all in a vain attempt to keep the homicidal blonde in.

"H-Hiwatari! What's wrong?" Sayo exclaimed, panicking a bit. Satoshi cracked an eye open to weakly look up at her, his glasses long gone now and he panted out,

"K-Krad... H-he's tryin to get out.." And then he groaned out in pain, crying out himself as he tipped to his side and before Sayo could make a move, she was stopped by Amber's high-pitched squeal of excitement.

_"Krad! I'm finally going to be able to meet him for real! Oh my God! Sayo, you _have_ to let me out! This is only thing I've ever wanted in my whole life and I will hate you forever if you deny me the happiness of meeting my hero! Please let me take control! _Please_!"_

Sayo cringed at the loud volume of Amber's shouting and she was about to speak when a sudden bright light flashed around Satoshi and she stepped back in shock, not expecting it. She watched dumbly as Satoshi's whole body began to change into a man looking much older than him and Sayo realized finally that it was Krad emerging. Scrambling backward despite Amber's protests and arguments of letting her out to see Krad fully, Sayo tried to keep as much space between her and the fallen angel as possible, eyes glued on his figure as he stood to his full height and watched him smirk coldly at her. She had long since stopped moving at this point and was now on her couch, staring and gaping widely at the blonde.

"Truely, you're not as cute as Master Satoshi seems to think," Krad said, his words cruel and taunting. Sayo gulped and let out a shaky gasp, only able to stare as he walked closer to her. "Now... bring out Amber... She has information about things that I think would prove useful for me and Master Satoshi. And you'd do _anything_ to help him, wouldn't you?"

Sayo was stuck, figuratively, between trying to stay away from Krad, knowing just how evil he was, and wanting to keep Amber in. But after a few long seconds of krad just looking at her with his golden eyes glinting with malice, she could feel Amber forcing her way out. And the female Tamer didn't have much control to begin with, so it was a simple task for Amber to do. Within seconds, Sayo found herself watching the scene from her mind, with Amber now in control.

The female Phantom stood from her Tamer's spot on the couch and stretched casually like there wasn't a sadistic man capable of mass murder right in front of her. Then she faced Krad and grinned widely.

"It's about damn time I meet you! You can't imagine how much I _love_ you!" she exclaimed in a squeal.


	10. Chapter 10

The moment Amber spoke so giddily to Krad, Sayo felt like knocking the female Phantom through the roof. But even the feelings of confused anger didn't get through from the Tamer and Amber simply giggled lightly and walked toward the blond man, who hadn't spoken since she did and watched her walk around him, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. The woman chuckled and finally looked up at him, holding both her arms around one of his.

"My, you're more handsome than those pictures show!" she told him with a wink. Sayo could see Krad's face tense at her words but Amber seemed to be unnoticed of it and only continued smiling at him. "I'm so happy to finally meet you, Krad; you can't imagine how much I've waited for this day! There's _nothing_ I wouldn't do, just for you!"

That made his face twitch into a small, malicious smirk as he slowly brought a hand up to take a firm hold of Amber's forearm, loosening her grip on his arm and making her smile falter slightly. She stared up at him, into the cold, golden eyes of the fallen angel whom she seemed to be infatuated with beyond any hopes of returning to reality. Krad's smirk widened a bit as he chuckled himself, low and quietly as if it would escalate into a loud cackle.

"Nothing, you say?" he repeated to her, leaning his face down closer to Amber's until both Tamers could see each other's reflections in the Phantom's eyes- Satoshi in Krad's and Sayo in Amber's. The young woman slowly nodded, gulping silently as Krad remained where he was, inches from her own face and unmoving. His grip on her arm loosened just a bit and he pulled back slightly, looking smug and triumphant.

"Good, because otherwise... you would be of no use to me," he murmured, tossing Amber toward the couch. Sayo yelped a bit at the sudden force and she wished so much to be in control and run away, somewhere Krad wasn't. From the last few minutes already, Sayo knew just how horrible a Phantom Krad really was and how much danger she and Amber could be in if they stuck around for much longer. But it didn't seem like Amber was getting any of that at all. She was merely half sprawled across the couch, eyes still on Krad as if mesmerized by him, and looking as if she'd starting laughing at any moment for some reason.

"Ooooh, you like it rough, I see," she drawled out cockily as the blond slowly stepped toward her. Sayo tensed inside their shared mind, feeling as though she were crying, if she had the physical body to do so.

"You're to be quiet and tell me just _what_ your past is- I know now that you might be part of the Black Wings, but there has been nothing in Master Kei's research to confirm your existence. Tell me why that is, Phantom of Sayo Aisaka!" After his angry outburst, Amber remained silent, only an eyebrow raised at Krad as a sign of her actually listening to him. He growled when she said nothing and stepped closer to her more, hands clenching tightly into fists. "Speak, damn you!"

Amber laughed, tilting her head back and everything. "But you told me to be quiet! I can't speak if I'm quiet!" she said with a playful shake of her head toward the male. He growled again, this time bringing his hand into the white cloak-shirt and removing what looked like a long white feather. At first, Sayo wondered just how exactly Krad intended to make such a thing seem so intimidating, and Amber seemed to think the same as she laughed quietly and shifted so she was sitting on the couch instead of laying on it.

"What are you going to do, _tickle_ me to dea-" Amber began but was cut off when Krad suddenly shot a yellow light inches from her head and it blasted a small hole into the wall behind her. She snapped her head behind her shoulder, staring widely at the chunk of wall he just destroyed, and slowly turned her gaze back to the man, breath gone shallow and quiet. He glared at her with his eyes glinting cruelly, feather still raised as if to blast at _her_ next.

"I grow impatient with your idiotic squealing; now tell me what I asked and your life shall be spared... maybe," he hissed at Amber, clearly not joking or playing games. Amber gulped silently once more and stared at him further, heart thudding. Sayo sighed to herself in mild relief; maybe _now_ Amber would understand the trouble they were in and she would just tell Krad what he wanted to know and-

"Do I get a reward if I do?" Amber asked, her lips curling into a mischievous smirk, eying Krad cautiously as if anticipating his next move or attack at her. His eyes narrowed more and he grunted softly, irritation obvious from his tense body and sour expression. Amber stood, a graceful motion that proved that she was like a phantom, able to move fluidly and appear like a shadow if need be. "I mean, if I'm going to give someone as dangerous as you something as precious like my past, then I think I'm due for a reward. Like, say..." She sent Krad a flirtatious look, hand resting on her hip lazily. "A date? Or even just a kiss would be good. Something at the very least. Whadd'ya say, hmm?"

Sayo would've sweat dropped if she could. So Amber had known all along that Krad wasn't a force to reckon with... Yet she still insisted of going fangirl on him. Sometimes Sayo had to wonder if she played Tamer to a true lunatic.

Krad chuckled darkly, closing his eyes for a split second before re-opening them and raising his feather to Amber once more, blasting at her again. She grunted in effort as she dropped to the floor and rolled out of the way just in time to see the end of the couch get blown apart, bits of well-worn fabric and stuffing flying in the air and showering both Phantoms. Amber looked back at Krad, gasping in shock as he turned the weapon to face her, aimed directly for her head.

"What I say is that you have ten seconds before you _die_, Amber," he told her, cruel and sadistic and not in the least bit sympathetic. In fact, he seemed as though the mere thought of killing her and Sayo would be _fun_. It was then that Sayo knew they had to get away, away from the house and outside where Krad could do no harm without alerting the public and police. But like Amber would listen; she seemed too preoccupied with both trying to keep alive and getting an answer from the killer in front of her.

"Perhaps five of those ten seconds could be spent kissing, then?" she suggested, standing and brushing off the Azumano Junior girl's uniform Sayo hadn't changed out of since being home. The young woman made a face at the clothes, and Sayo could hear her thoughts- while the uniform suited Sayo and her silly innocence, it didn't do a damn thing for Amber and her curves.

_'Amber, get your priorities straight, will you? You have a crazy, sadistic mad-man trying to kill you and you're worried about what you're _wearing_? Seriously, _why_ did I have to get stuck with you?'_ Sayo cried out with half frustration and half true anger. All she wanted right now was to rewind time back a half hour so that it was just her and Satoshi, talking and simply being next to each other on the train to her home. It seemed so far away from the moment _now_, where his other side was trying to _kill_ her for some reason, and seemed so peaceful as well. She would do anything to return to her old life, before she moved to Azumano City, even if it meant living with a deep secret that she thought no one else burdened along with her like Satoshi and Daisuke did... Anything to be free of the terror she was feeling right now and having to rely on a stupid, love-struck idiot to survive.

Another blast so close to Amber's head made both females snap back to the situation at hand and she dashed to the other side of the living room, not even feet from the front door area. Krad stepped toward Amber, feather lowered slightly to give her a cold glare.

"I grow tired of your games, Amber," he gritted out angrily, raising his weapon to her again. Finally, it seemed like the danger was settling into the Phantom's brain as she darted her eyes between the distance of them and where the door was, as if gauging how far she was from safety. "If you don't stop with them and tell me what I want, I'll be forced to kill you. And I doubt Master Satoshi would like that, since that body houses that Sayo Aisaka, someone he seems to value deeply. Now, tell me before I blast you into oblivion, Amber Aisaka!"

_'W-what...?'_ Sayo exclaimed with a dark blush in her mind, eyes wide with shock. _'H-Hiwatari values me..? What does that-? Does that mean he-?'_

But she couldn't get any answer since Amber was busy trying to escape to the door, but was blocked by the threat of Krad. _'Amber, just tell him what he wants already and he'll let us go!'_ Sayo told the female impatiently. Amber grunted softly and looked once more toward the door, as if getting ready to head for it any second.

_"Yeah, I _would_... If I knew my past in the first place,"_ Amber replied through their mind, sheepish and nervous of her Tamer's shouting to come. The main part of her mind, however, was stuck on the task of getting the hell outside and away from the crazy man, ready to kill her. Sayo understood this and kept silent, keeping all her snide and sarcastic comments to herself for the time being.

"Time's up!" Krad shouted, blasting once more at Amber, and she jumped out of the way from each one, making herself get closer and closer to the front door and safety. Finally, she managed to grab a hold of the doorknob and twist it open, all the while shoving Sayo's shoes on hastily as Krad's blasts caught the door and within a second, she held only the knob, running down the front steps and the street, panting lightly and trying to get as much distance between her and the house as possible.

When Amber turned her head to see if the blond Thief was following, she couldn't help but gasp sharply at the sight of large white wings pumping the dusk air until he was flying steadily toward her. Amber heard Sayo cry out in fear in their mind and flinched a bit at the high-pitched sound, stumbling slightly over the cracks in the sidewalk, not sure where exactly her destination was to be.

* * *

For the last ten minutes, Daisuke's head was splitting with pain, something that had started so suddenly that he nearly dropped the dishes he was bringing to the sink to wash after dinner, and even a lay-down wasn't helping ease the migraine. The red-head groaned into his pillow, burying his face into the cool surface in hopes that it would soothe the pain at least a little. Emiko had come in once or twice to check up on her son, only to understand that he had to be left alone. With stayed on his bed, cooing softly and gently rubbing his furry little forehead to his owner's shoulder to comfort him. Daisuke smiled a bit at that and petting his white head for a second before closing his eyes again and once more burying his head.

_"To think a little headache is what brings down the great Daisuke Niwa!"_ Dark laughed in their shared mind, watching his Tamer with a teasing grin. _"C'mon, Dai, the only way to help with this is to get a big heap of fresh air! Why don't you call your Sacred Maiden and ask if she wants to go for a walk, huuuuh?"_

Even at the mention of Risa Harada, Daisuke didn't seem to want to move around much and Dark slowly started wondering how much pain his Tamer and friend was in. Just as he was about to open his mental mouth again to try and persuade the red-head to go outside, he suddenly felt something pulse through their body and his playful mood was instantly replaced with determination and complete seriousness.

Daisuke also seemed to feel it as well, lifting his head slowly and his eyes staring straight ahead as if sensing something that he couldn't see. With felt it as well, his fur going up slightly as he turned to Daisuke, waiting for him to tell him something or for Dark to emerge and command for his wings.

"Something's wrong.." Daisuke murmured, hand to his head like he was surprised his headache was gone, which it was all of a sudden. he glanced down at With, patting his head gently to calm the creature down. "It's okay, With; what's the matter?"

_"So you and With sense it, too,"_ Dark said quietly, tone low and thoughtful. _"Daisuke, you might want to get changed. If we don't leave now, Sayo is probably going to be _really_ hurt."_

"Miss Aisaka?" Daisuke gaped with shock, even as he climbed down his ladder as fast as he could, With hopping to his shoulder as a way to get down as well. "What's going on, Dark?" he asked, worried for the girl's well-being. But the Phantom Thief didn't reply, so the boy simply dressed quickly and silently, making his way to the living room to tell his mother and grandfather where he was going- not that he _knew_ where, anyway.

"Dai? You're feeling better now, are you? I'm glad," Emiko told her son with a relieved smile, but it fell into a curious frown, leaning toward the entrance as Daisuke shoved his shoes onto his feet. "Where are you going so late at night, Dai? Is something wrong?"

He smiled casually at his mother and held a hand up. "Well, I'm not exactly sure, but Dark said something is wrong and I gotta go or else Miss Aisaka is going to get hurt, so I'll be home when I can, bye!" And with that, Daisuke was off, running down the street in the directions Dark was telling him. "So, are you.. gonna tell me.. what's going on, Dark?" he panted out, hearing With faintly behind him.

_"It's Krad... and I don't think it's going to end well,"_ the male said in a low voice, as if determined to reach the girl and save her from his evil counter-part. And hearing the blond's name gave Daisuke enough incentive to run faster, like he shared Dark's feelings and didn't want anything to happen.

* * *

"K-Krad, stop this, _please_! You don't want to do this!" Sayo shouted, tumbling past a set of swings and trying not to fall over a teeter-totter. She had long since changed back to her own self after Amber got tired of running and even though the man hadn't blasted at her with his.. feather-weapon thingie, she still wasn't sure when he'd stop chasing after her. Sayo heard him laughing manically behind her and the soft flapping of his beautiful, angel wings hitting the air currents. She couldn't understand how someone as nice and helpful as Satoshi could house such a terrible person as Krad! It didn't make any sense!

"Come back here, my little mouse! Wouldn't you like to hear how Master Satoshi _feels_ about you?" Krad taunted her. Sayo skidded to a stop, looking around for some place to run into away from him, but discovered she had run herself into a dead-end- a cul-de-sac. Then his words sunk in a little to her mind and she hesitantly turned her eyes toward the man, breathe fast and hard.

"W-what do you mean, how H-Hiwatari feels about me?" she called out to him, almost afraid of his answer. Krad gracefully landed to his feet, wings spread out like an angelic background and the grass under his feet moving in time to each wing beat. A cruel smirk slipped to his lips and he stepped toward Sayo, feather lowered to the ground and like he was trying to appear completely innocent.

"Just what I say," he answered her cooily, stopping feet in front of her. She stepped back and hit against a electrical pole, gasping softly at the impact on her back. Trembling, she continued to stare at the heavenly monster before her, too puzzled by his words to try running anywhere else at the moment. Krad knew this and he smirked more, closing in on her further. "Of course, he hasn't known you long, and I don't see the point in simpering about for affections, but no matter. Master Satoshi seems to find something.. _different_ in you that he never saw in any other girl he attends school with. It's obvious, as well, how he sees you, Sayo Aisaka."

And suddenly, Krad was inches from her face, eliciting a sharp but quiet squeak of fright to pop out of her. His eyes narrowed into her wide ones, gold that glinted slightly with ice-blue against startled amber. "Tell me what I need from your other part and I'll tell you. Simple as that; fair deal, don't you agree?"

"B-but, I- I don't k-know anything about A-Amber's past, I-I swear..!" Sayo stammered out, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, the streetlamps beginning to turn on now that night was approaching faster. The light from them made Krad look even _more_ like a cold, evil angel, and it was something Sayo didn't want to be in front of at the moment- or _ever_, really.

He laughed quietly now, raising a single finger to her chin, tilting it up further so she got a better look at his eyes and face. "Oh, something tells me you know more than you're letting on," he hissed under his breath, causing Sayo to cringe and close her eyes tightly, hoping doing so would make him disappear. She knew he was going to say more but before he did, a sudden gust of wind swept her hair around and she opened her eyes just in time to hear a familiar voice calling out to both her and Krad.

"No! Don't hurt her, Krad!" Daisuke shouted, standing in front of Sayo and holding his arms out as if to protect her. Sayo stared at his back, seeing the determined and almost angry expression on his face, shocked. Krad had flown a few feet back when Daisuke had come running, and he looked as if he'd hurt the red-head himself with his feather. Yet he didn't; he continued flying backward, eyes directly on Sayo until he flew into the air, a loud growl echoing through the night sky like he was angry and knew he couldn't do anything to do about it.

Sayo's legs finally gave out and she let out a huge breath, falling to the ground and staring ahead with fright, shaking despite it being warm out. Daisuke heard her and turned to kneel in front of her, hands on her shoulders gently as he gazed down at her.

"Miss Aisaka..?" he questioned softly, watching her with worry. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you at all?"

Sayo raised her eyes up to meet Daisuke's, her breath still shaky and frightened. "N-Niwa.." she whispered, her voice full of fear and on-coming tears. She thrust herself into his arms, something he wasn't expecting but accepted anyway, hugging her gently as she sobbed into his chest. "I was so scared, Niwa! God, I thought he was really going to h-hurt me! I was so scared- so _scared_!"

"It's okay, Miss Aisaka... You're fine now. I've got you, okay? Don't worry," Daisuke assured her quietly into her ear, holding her still.

What neither of them knew was the rate of his heart had increased significantly the moment she threw herself into him- no one but Dark and Amber, that is.


	11. Chapter 11

Ten minutes later, Daisuke was leading Sayo inside his front door, a hand around her shoulder for comfort. She still looked shaken by the encounter with Krad and pale, every little thing startling her. As they slipped their shoes off, the pitter-patting of someone running toward them caused Sayo to flinch and Daisuke to smile gently, to soothe her.

"Dai? Is that you?" a woman called out, emerging from a doorway and glancing down the hall to her son. She blinked when she saw how frightened Sayo seemed and went to her slowly, a smile of kind reassurance on her face. "You must be Sayo; it's nice to finally meet you, I'm Daisuke's mom." Emiko turned her attention to the red-head, concern in her eyes. "What happened?"

Daisuke chuckled awkwardly, lips twitching up into a nervous smile. "Well, I'm not entirely sure _how_ it happened, but..." He trailed off, uncomfortable with explaining the situation in front of the blackette. But she did it for him, voice small and shaky.

"I-it... It was Krad," she whispered, dropping her head enough to hide her eyes. Emiko silently gasped, raising her eyes to Daisuke, who was gazing at Sayo gently and nodded to confirm what she said. The woman frowned with sympathy and put her own arm around the girl, leading her slowly toward the living room, Daisuke following after a moment.

'_What do you think Krad wanted from Miss Aisaka?_' he asked the older Phantom Thief through their link, padding down the hallway.

_"I'm not so sure he was after Sayo,"_ Dark replied quietly. Daisuke blinked, confused. _"Something tells me he was actually chasing down a certain female Phantom."_ The boy paused just as his Tamer reached the living room. _"And something _else_ tells me I'm going to need to have a little talk with Miss Amber Aisaka."_

"Dai, keep Sayo company while I go help Towa in the kitchen, would you?" Emiko told her son, gesturing to the couch where Sayo sat, hands in lap and silent. Daisuke nodded to his mother and went to the female Tamer, watching her carefully. Emiko had left to help the Lolita maid, meaning the two classmates were alone- Daisuke trying to avoid the silence and Sayo still too shaken to properly speak.

_"Ask her what happened already,"_ Dark hissed, making the red-head pout slightly.

_'I can.'t...! Can't you see that she's still pale? I don't want to bring anything up that might scare her.'_

Dark let out a heavy sigh. _"You're completely hopeless."_

"Niwa...?"

Sayo's soft question was so abrupt that Daisuke nearly jumped in surprise but he managed to pull himself together and looked at her.

"Uh... yes?"

She seemed to flinch, not from the embarrassed, gentle tone but from habit, and slowly raised her amber hues to look at the red-head, hands clenching on her lap tightly.

"I... I'm sorry to ask this from you, especially after everything you've done for me tonight..." she began, lowering her gaze again. "But I really think he'd have more answers to my questions than you... So," she lifted her head, eyes pleading to the teen next to her, "please, Niwa, let Dark out. I-I want- no, _need_ to talk to him...!"

Daisuke blinked for a moment, trying to understand what Sayo was asking him; when he finally did, he hesitated. Daisuke never really liked bringing Dark out, even to another who knew about the Niwa curse and the art Thief, but he also knew he could trust Sayo- a different type of trust felt with Satoshi. There was something about the blackette, yet he couldn't think _what_.

_"Instead of mulling over your oblivious love life, why don't you _answer_ the girl?"_ Dark suggested dryly, _"She has a good idea- asking _me_ and not you."_ Daisuke mentally nodded and cleared his throat slightly.

_'Alright, but don't try _any_thing with Miss Aisaka; just answer her questions,'_ the teen feebily warned the entity before giving Sayo a nod and letting Dark take control himself, a rare occurrence for the duo. Sayo watched in awe, since this was her first time seeing the transformation for her own eyes; she'd normally just see Daisuke at school then Dark (sometimes) during the night at his stealing gigs.

Since Daisuke was letting Dark out willingly, there was no need to look at a picture of Risa and there was no pain. He simply relaxed his body and mind and allowed Dark access and the power to take over. His hair changed to the deep purple Dark's silky strands had and flowed down to almost his chin and he grew taller, giving him the appearance of a much older teenager, nearly eighteen or nineteen years old. Somehow, the clothing Daisuke had put on vanished and instead, black classy yet casual clothes replaced the tee and khaki pants. Finally, once Dark was completely in control of the body, Sayo noticed the atmosphere around them had changed, too. With the older boy out, she felt a surge of confidence and some kind of strange- but not unliked- electricity shoot through her, making her stare at him as he slowly relaxed his body and opened his eyes. Their gazes locked onto each other and Dark smiled fondly, inclining his head a bit to her.

"You called for me, princess?" he asked her, chuckling under his breath and that question snapped Sayo out of her odd trance with Dark. She looked down momentarily, then squared her shoulders and lifted her eyes back up to him.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about something- about Krad," she told him with a nod, looking a bit better now that she re-found her voice. Her color was returning slowly, giving her skin that normal glowing tan Dark always found very attractive on her. He acknowledged her statement, the mild playfulness that he always had around her disappearing to be replaced with mild seriousness.

"Of course. I may not be able to provide much since he and I are two different parts of the Black Wings, but for you, I'll do my best." he told her, standing and holding his hand to her. "But why don't we take a walk while you do? I'm sure your body needs some fresh air right now, and if you're going to be asking things about Krad, it'd be a good idea to have some."

Sayo nodded, though seeming a bit hesitant. She took his hand, getting a small surprise of Dark pulling her swiftly and gracefully to her feet. "But where will we go?" she asked quietly, tucking some hair behind an ear. The Thief shrugged, as though the idea never occured to him and yet still didn't care. Sayo frowned a bit. "You better not think or act like this is a date. Because it's _not_." Her eyes shifted to the side, as if embarrassed a bit. "Besides, I have my eye on someone right now," she added under her breath, shaking her head before sighing heavily and slipping her hand from Dark's, starting to walk toward the front door.

He watched her backside, a small and mysterious smile peeling onto his face. "And I'm sure very soon he'll have his eye on you as well, even if he doesn't realize it at first," he murmured to himself, following the petite girl, hands in his pockets casually. That's when Emiko decided to pop herself out of the kitchen, holding a tray of tea cups and the other neccesities that came with tea. She paused and looked at Dark for an answer to where they were goi. He smiled at her.

"We're just going for a walk; we'll be back soon," he assured her smoothly. The woman nodded, accepting his explaination and glanced toward Sayo, who was slipping her shoes back on.

"Sayo, you're welcome to stay the night if you'd like. I'm sure you'd rather be in a house full of people right now than alone, right? You're welcome to stay as long as you need, dear," she told the girl kindly and the blackette stopped what she was doing to stare at the sandy-haired mother, eyes wide. But she said nothing and Emiko took her decline of her head as a silent acceptance of her offer, and she smiled gently before turning back into the kitchen.

"Treat her well, Dark," Emiko told the boy with a mock stern tone and he chuckled, holding a hand to her.

"There's no other way to treat a beautiful young lady like her."

Then the two were outside, Sayo drinking in the cool night air and trying to shake feeling of discomfort from her as they neared the part of the cul-de-sac where Krad had chased her into before Daisuke came to her rescue. But as they passed it, the heavy rock in her chest disappeared and she let out a soft breath, glancing over to Dark.

"So, about Krad?" she prompted and he nodded wordlessly, his own amethyst pupils catching hers and telling her to ask on. "Why would he be after Amber? He kept asking her about her past... and since I read in that journal how she was a part of the Black Wings, like you two, I figured you'd know something none of the others do."

Dark thought for a moment. Amber, a part of the Black Wings? At the top of his head, it didn't make that much sense, but it _would_ explain why he always had that strange feeling around her, even after knowing that she and Sayo were the one person. He assumed, now, that perhaps that strange feeling with Amber was lost memories of his trying to return to him from when he and Krad were still locked in that skeleton statue many decades ago. But if that was the case, was there any particular reason he'd forgotten about those days? Or had something caused him to lose those memories? Questions bubbled inside the male's mind but he pushed them aside to think of how to answer Sayo before she thought he had lost his voice or was ignoring her.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm afraid I probably know _less_ than you do about it all. I don't remember very much about my past before coming into the Niwa family, to be honest. In fact, I'm a bit surprised to hear that Amber was part of the Black Wings. I can't seem to believe that a crazy woman like her could be handled by the Hikari's." Dark chuckled softly and thought about that for a moment before shaking it away, not wanting to imagine that after all.

"Oh..." Sayo sounded disappointed, but not in the sense that she had expected much from him in the first place; just that she had hoped he knew _something_. "Well, this sucks. I was hoping you'd have something for Amber. She's been practically screaming since I finally got back in control when Krad..." She trailed off and stopped suddenly, and Dark paused to glance behind him, watching her with concern. She stared at the ground, eyes filled with fear like she was remembering what had happened, like it was just registering to her mind and wasn't liking it.

"It was like.. he was going for my life.. a-and Amber's, too..." she whispered hoarsely, hugging her arms around herself firmly, tears filling her vision and blurring everything again. Dark stepped close, sliding a warm arm to her form gently and pulling her to him without words, knowing she just needed to get everything out. "I-I never knew he would be so terrifying, Dark... I-I mean, I'd _read_ about him and stuff, but that was _nothing_ compared to the real thing. He was going for my blood, it felt, and at first, I had to deal with Amber trying to be all flirty with him...! I've never had anything like this happen before, not because I have Amber in me, anyway...!"

Sayo buried her head into Dark's chest, hands clutching the black fabric of his cool shirt tightly as she shuddered under his hold with sobs. He only laid his head on hers, closed his eyes lightly and slowly stroked her hair. "Just let it all out.. Nothing will hurt you with me around, Sayo. I promise," he whispered gently.

* * *

Satoshi growled angrily, grabbing one of the yellow-edged books on his wide, oak desk and throwing it across the room. It was a rare time for the boy to lose his cool, but the moment the blond devil had changed back into his Tamer, he went into a total meltdown. His study was completely trashed, looking like the result of a morning after Krad had taken control unexpectedly, furniture on their sides and some smaller items even in pieces, pages from books and from other things ripped from their sources and tossed onto the floor and onto the half-destroyed bed. All the damage, caused by the ice-blue haired boy who had been tearing apart his room for the last hour and a half and there didn't seem to be any sign of him stopping any time soon.

"I tell you not to do anything and almost immediately, you try to kill her! It's a miracle she didn't collapse out of fear of you; idiot!" he snapped in a shout, kicking a chair that was innocently standing behind a desk that was in near ruins, hearing the heavy thud of the dark-glossed seat fall to the floor lifelessly. It should have quelled at least a bit of his rage, but instead, it sparked it more, though it was really from the image of Sayo's fearful stare he had etched in his mind though Krad's eyes that had made him more angry.

_"Why do you care what I did, Master Satoshi?"_ Krad laughed inside their mind, his cackle echoing like always to be like a pounding reminder of the beast inside him. _"It's not as if we got any useful information from that girl, anyway. Nothing but a pathetic, whiny child, she is. She has no use to us if she can't tell us the past to Amber Aisaka. I should have killed her when I had the chance."_

Satoshi growled again, this time spreading around more fluttering pieces of paper that had no value to him at that moment. "_Shut up_! I didn't ask for any of this! I only wanted to know of the background on Amber, not try to _murder_ an innocent girl!" He leaned his hands on his sturdy desk, panting from the force he'd use to scream and throw things about, something he never really did. Ice blue eyes glared at the surface, seeing his darkened reflection in the glossed-over wood and hating it. They narrowed more until he simply closed them, hands clenching into fists and slightly scraping against the varnish in his attempt to calm down.

"I'm not doing it anymore," he finally murmured quietly, almost without any emotion. "I'm not going to risk Miss Aisaka's safety for your pointless curiosity- if that's what you'd even call it. I'm not letting you hurt her any more and if you do, I'll..."

_"You'll _what_, Master Satoshi? What will you do if I try to emerge once more and hurt your precious Sayo Aisaka?"_ Krad countered, knowing full well that the genius was powerless against the blond. Satoshi knew that too, as he fell silent, simply standing at his desk with his head hanging and fists on the top, trembling just a little. _"Tell me, Master Satoshi, what is it about this little child that makes you so protective over her? You've known her less than two weeks; surely she can't be _that_ interesting to you."_ It was clear that Krad was taunting his Tamer into revealing aloud the truth that the blond had come to realize quickly over the days, but Satoshi would not budge.

"It's none of your business," the boy hissed quietly, jerking his head to the side as his excess anger continued to flame within him. Krad cackled again, obviously enjoying the torment his master was going through.

_"You care for her, don't you, Master Satoshi?"_ the being asked with a cold smirk in his words. Satoshi froze slightly and it gave way to more cruel taunting from his other side. _"It's painfully obvious that you do, but you know that liking another will only evoke me even more. But just because you don't say it out loud, doesn't make it any less true."_ Satoshi could feel a cold chill sweep through him, toward his left shoulder as if Krad was hovering over it and watching his owner with evil amusement.

_"You are in _love_ with this girl, aren't you, Master Satoshi? You're in love with Sayo Aisaka, whether you admit it or not. I can _feel_ it and it's disgustingly strong, too. It's why you broke down over my escape earlier and why you refuse to allow any injury to come to that girl."_

"I _said_ shut up," Satoshi growled under his breath, tired from his senseless physical outburst. "Miss Aisaka is nothing but a good, close person of mine.. I don't love her nor will I ever. Being with someone is not part of my fate..."

_"Ah, I can tell that you're lying, Master Satoshi. You know you shouldn't lie about feelings. They could come back and haunt you,"_ Krad chuckled, the cold chill slowly pulling from the boy's body. _"Trust me.. you will soon come to terms with everything once I get my hold of that girl. I _will_ learn about Amber Aisaka, if it's the last thing I do."_

And then the chill completely disappear, leaving Satoshi with a heavy feeling in his gut that he knew had to do with days to come, Sayo and Krad. Something that wouldn't be very good and something he _knew_ she would get hurt from.

Just another thing a member of the cursed Hikari family had to deal with.

* * *

"You can let go of me now, you know," Sayo said flatly to Dark as they gently dropped onto the front step of Daisuke's home after he flew them back. He chuckled softly and did as she told, his fingers lingering on her arms as a sign of his playful affection for her. Sayo sighed softly and stifled a small yawn, tears forming in the corner of her eyes from her exhaustion. Crying for so long had taken so much energy out of her and now all she wanted was to have a nice hot cup of tea and sleep.

They started to walk into the house, but Sayo paused and turned to look up at Dark, who raised a single eyebrow in return. "Thank you," she told him softly. "To both you _and_ Niwa. I really appreciate all the things you're doing for me. I hope to repay your kindness one day."

Dark chuckled softly. "There's no need to thank me or Daisuke. It's our pleasure to help such a beautiful girl out in her time of need. _But_, if you want to repay me," he leaned down, winking teasingly at her. "Why don't I steal a kiss from your lovely lips, princess?"

Sayo frowned and pushed him away, slipping off her shoes and walking straight into the living room, her hair being the last part of her that the Thief saw. Dark chuckled again and shook his head, bemused by her reaction. "I'll let you take over, Dai. I think Sayo might want and need a friend who's much closer to her own age right now," he murmured aloud to his Tamer before allowing the feeling of the red-head gain control again of the body and watching everything through his ruby eyes.

Daisuke entered the living room a few minutes later, only to see it just being occupied by his mother. He blinked widely, confused as to where Sayo had gone. Emiko giggled and pointed toward the doorway that lead into the kitchen.

"I hope you don't mind, but she'll be sleeping on your couch in _your_ room, Daisuke," she told him and he flushed a bit, the thought of a girl in his room alone. And then the thought of being in the same room of said girl, still alone, all night! He quickly rushed up the stairs, hoping she hadn't seen the painting he had done of Risa. Yet when he got up the final steps, he noticed that Sayo had made up a blanket and pillow on the couch and was laying down, still awake since her eyes were wide open and staring up at the ceiling. Daisuke smiled in relief then made his own way to his desk under his bunk bed.

"I'm glad you're feeling a bit better from earlier," he commented lightly, fixing his school bag for the next day. A soft grunt from behind him told him she didn't seem to be in the talking mood anymore. No matter, so long as she's comfortable. "If you'd like, and if you're staying for a while here, we can go to your house after school tomorrow and get some of your things. That way you're more comfortable here," he added, turning his head to give her a warm smile.

Sayo's eyes shifted to look sideways at him, then the corners of her lips tugged upward. "That sounds nice.. Thanks, Niwa," she whispered, turning on her side to look properly at him. He nodded in return and glanced at the blanket she had.

"Do you want another one? I heard tonight is supposed to be a bit colder than usual," he offered but she shook her head. He blinked for a second, then half-shrugged, a bit worried about her still. "Alright, well... We really should be going to bed; we have school in the morning and I'm sure you're pretty tired after all that happened today."

"Alright..." Sayo murmured in agreement and turned to her other side so Daisuke could change into his PJs. It struck him then that she was wearing a pair of PJs that he used to see on his mother before they got washed one too many times and couldn't go back to their proper size. So they fit Sayo like a glove. He turned the light off and was about to head toward his bed ladder when he heard her speak up again. He paused, waiting for her to say more.

"What did you say, Miss Aisaka?" he asked her quietly, walking a bit closer to her.

"I... I asked if you'd stay here with me.. At least until I fall asleep..." she repeated, tone small again like when she first showed up at his house. Daisuke wondered what had made her afraid so suddenly but didn't question it out loud. Instead he went over to her and sat next to the couch where her head was. A rustle caught his momentarily off guard, but the feeling of her small hand clutching his in a slight shake stopped it and he watched her through the darkness, realizing that she was truly still terrified. "I just.. don't want to be alone right now..." Sayo said, as if explaining her actions.

Daisuke smiled gently and nodded, though knowing she didn't see it. He held her hand in return and leaned his back against the couch, keeping his eyes off her so she could sleep. It didn't take long, but before he knew it, he was waking up to his alarm clock and found himself still next to Sayo.

But not on the floor like he was hours ago, but laying on top of Sayo's blanket at her side, their hands still entwined together and her face inches from his!

* * *

**Wow. o.o This is the longest chapter I've written for this fic so far- of a whopping 23 KB! :D Anyway, I'm pretty sure I've gotten back into my DNAngel kick, so expect maybe another chapter sometime within the next few weeks :D I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I kinda think it's very eventful, but doesn't cram too much info into your cranium ^^ **


	12. Chapter 12

Cheeks still glaring red with embarrassment, Daisuke did his best to avoid the subject of the night before and that morning with Sayo, who seemed unfazed by it. She hadn't even questioned why he was suddenly beside her or whether he'd tried anything- not that he would or did, she knew. Daisuke, however, was trying to apologize sheepishly to a deaf ear, insisting that it was all an accident. She acted casual about it, waving his apologies cheerfully like she had boys waking up beside her every morning.

But it also seemed like she was hiding something; nothing terrible, though. Daisuke knew how it felt to want to not worry people, especially after something shocking happened. He could tell his mother knew the same, even if she _did_ act like her usual, peppy self that morning when she came to wake the two up.

_"What, no day off school after nearly getting killed by a sadistic devil?"_ Dark asked dryly, sounding tired. The red-head mentally shushed the Thief, changing into his uniform in the bathroom. _"_What_? All I'm saying is that I think Sayo should rest today, considering what she had to go through with Krad last night."_

'_I know you're right_', Daisuke reluctantly agreed, quietly sighing. '_But if Mom still wants us to go, then it must be fine. She wouldn't send Miss Aisaka into danger on purpose._'

It was silent for a long moment as Daisuke brushed his sleep-matted hair. Then Dark spoke up again, his words causing his Tamer to pause.

_"What about when she sees Hiwatari in class?"_ Daisuke remained still, eyes locked on the plug in the sink, frowning in thought. _"Sayo _likes_ him, as much as I hate to say it. Imagine how she'll feel, seeing him in the most ordinary of places- school and her classes. She needs a friend, Daisuke... You have to be there for her... since _I_ can't."_

The quiet and firm advice slowly sank into Daisuke's mind and he nodded, looking determined. He wasn't just going to support Sayo because Dark had told him to; he was going to do it because she was his friend. She housed an unknown, mysterious third part of the Black Wings and it was unclear if she was in trouble. He'd help her through whatever she needed- if she wanted, anyway.

* * *

_"Look, I told you already- I'm _sorry_! How was I supposed to know that Krad was _that_ dangerous?"_

Despite this being Amber's millionth time trying to apologize to her Tamer, Sayo remained resilient and pretended to not hear the outrageous girl. She simply allowed her to go on and on, miserably attempting to get the young teen to speak while Sayo wordlessly packed her bag for school, already in her uniform.

Waking up with Daisuke next to her... At first, she was frozen stiff with embarrassed shock but as the sleep drained from her, she had found the sight of him asleep rather cute. And she fully knew he hadn't or wouldn't try anything, which was why she treated it so lightly. And that reaction also unnerved her a bit. Half of her felt as though she'd betrayed Satoshi by not being bothered by it, but the other half... Well, the other half thought how normal and almost _natural_ it was to wake up like that.

'_But _why_?_' she questioned herself with a hint of frustration, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. _'I've only recently accepted that I like Hiwatari, so why did I not actually freak out? It makes no sense!_' As Sayo rubbed her hair, frustration furthering, she didn't notice Daisuke coming up behind her, blinking at her strange action.

"Miss Aisaka?" the boy asked, causing Sayo to jump and smile sheepishly at him. He smiled back gently, gesturing down the stairs for her to walk with him. "I hope you like eggs and bacon," he told her cheerfully as they padded into the kitchen. Sayo breathed in deeply, practically drooling at the smells.

"You have _no_ idea how long it's been since I had a hot, home-made breakfast, Niwa!" she exclaimed, smiling widely and sitting beside the other Tamer. "This all smells and looks delicious!"

"And there's enough for seconds if you want it," the Lolita maid- Towa, if Sayo remembered correctly- told her, placing a steaming plate of food in front of her. Soon, breakfast was set on the table for everyone- which consisted of Emiko, Daisuke, Towa, Sayo and Daiki- and they dug in. Just when Sayo thought her smile couldn't get any wider, it did the moment she bit into the scrambled eggs.

"I think I just died and went to heaven..." she cooed, obviously drowning in delight at the taste. Emiko swiftly exchanged a slightly concerned look with Towa and Daiki.

"Sayo, dear..." Emiko began gently, not wanting to step on a fragile nerve. "When exactly was the last time you had breakfast made by your mom or dad?"

At the question, Daisuke suddenly glanced up at the girl, whose smile slowly faded and looked a bit upset. He didn't want his mother to touch a sensitive subject to Sayo, but he also couldn't help but wonder as well. There was still so much about his classmate he didn't know. Sayo smiled sadly and lightly laid her fork down, as if not hungry anymore.

"My... ninth birthday. Mom made her Aisaka-famous French toast and Dad made his yummy hashbrowns," Sayo replied distantly, like she was remembering that day perfectly. "It was a great morning- I was allowed to take the whole day off school because they took me shopping; any movie of my choice in the theaters; then dinner at the best restaurant in town. They spared no expense: it was my family's birthday tradition. We did it for Mom and Dad, too, not just me."

Listening intently, Daisuke smiled fondly at how Sayo seemed so happy at her memory, that day with her family. Amber seemed to remember it as well.

_"Yeah, they got _me_ birthday gifts, too. Toshiko and Lee were really good to me, treating me like I was their daughter along with you."_ The cocky entity, for once, sounded content and distant, as if she was happy thinking of the event as well. _"They even tried grounding me, 'til they realized how impossible that was when _you_ were still free to go places. Goood times..."_

"But then..." Sayo continued, the smile vanishing and her tone more puzzled and quieter. She lowered her eyes to the table, gently biting her lip; Daisuke and his family watched her, wondering if she was alright. "We'd just gotten back from dinner, getting ready for the movie... I was in my room, putting up my hair; then, for no reason, I ended up blacking out..." Sayo took a soft intake of breath, closing her eyes and relaxing herself.

"When I regained consciousness, I was in Mom and Dad's room and they were on the floor, sprawled out and covered in blood." Daisuke's mouth fell open slightly and he suddenly had a bad feeling about the ending of her story. Sayo went on, a forced smile on her face. "The police said they'd been murdered and they thought the reason I'd blacked out was because the shock of the thing was too much for me to handle. My body somehow moved itself during the crime and that's how I got into their room when I came to."

"I'm so sorry, Sayo..." Emiko murmured, reaching over to grasp the girl's hand with sympathy but she waved it off with another forced smile, shaking her head lightly as she returned to her meal.

"No, it's fine. It's been five years now, so I've gotten over it," she told them all then took a distracting bite of eggs, smiling wider. "Wow! These are great, Mrs. Niwa! Do you think I could get the recipe so I can make them at home for myself?" Then she blinked, turning to Daisuke, who was caught off-guard by the girl's sparkling and cheerful expression. "Oh! I nearly forgot that you were supposed to come to my house after school today to hang out and make that Crazy Cake, Niwa."

Daisuke blinked, confused but realization dawning to his mind as he vaguely recalled making that promise to Sayo the previous day at school. He glanced over to his mother, unsure if she'd permit him to go after what had happened, but clearly, Emiko thought it was a fantastic idea as she smiled in delight and clapped her hands together.

"That sounds great, Sayo! Of course Daisuke can go to your house after school!" she giggled, nodding as Sayo smiled happily and Daisuke smiled as well, only not as enthusiastic as the other women. Emiko didn't seem to notice as breakfast continued until finally, they were all done and he and Sayo were near the door, slipping on their shoes. They bid Daisuke's family farewell with a perky wave before dashing out of the house, not wanting to be late for the train.

* * *

"So, Miss Aisaka..." Daisuke began, sounding curious and a bit uncertain, as they both headed toward the entrance of their middle school with the other students. Sayo turned her head to look at Daisuke and he could see a mental view of Dark smiling fondly at the sight. Daisuke went on, smiling slightly. "How exactly is a Crazy Cake made?" he asked, not fully sure he wanted to know at all. To him, it sounded as though it might be something not of this Earth and the thought made him nervous to make it then _try_ it. But at Sayo's reassuring grin, that nervousness dropped just a bit.

"Oh, that?" she questioned with a scoff. "It's nothing to be scared of. I call it that because the ingredients are a surprise until you gather them together." Daisuke looked at her with further confusion and Sayo merely laughed in amusement. "I'll explain later at my house. You'll understand then; I promise!"

Daisuke nodded, smiling with her just as two girls came up next to him and Sayo, both sporting smiles and eyes glittering with curiosity. One was on a bike, pedaling slowly to stay in pace with the others, and the other was jogging beside Sayo. They looked almost identical with the exception of the length of their hair. Daisuke practically beamed at the one on the bike.

"Miss Harada! Good morning!" he greeted her then turned to the jogging girl. "Same to you, Miss Harada; good morning!" Both girls shared a grin and looked between him and Sayo, who was giving the twins a confused expression, clearly unsure as to who they were. Daisuke picked up on it all and quickly went through the brief introductions. With them finished, Sayo gave the sisters a friendly grin.

"Nice to meet you guys," she told them brightly and they nodded in acknowledgment.

"So, Niwa, were you ever going to introduce us to her or were you planning on keeping her for yourself?" Riku teased the flame-haired boy lightly. He blushed a bit and looked taken back, as if he was ready to defend himself against the comment but Riku laughed playfully before he could. "I'm only kidding, Niwa! You need to relax sometimes, you know that?" Her tone was light and warm, though, so he wasn't being seriously reprimanded by her. Risa giggled beside Daisuke, making him blush further, and turned her attention onto Sayo, who seemed amused by the whole conversation so far.

"How are you liking Azumano so far, Miss Aisaka?" she asked her and Sayo smiled brightly, nodding.

"It's great! I've met a lot of nice people so far and Niwa and Hiwatari are both helping me around the school, so I should be able to get around by myself quickly!" she told her cheerfully, though Daisuke noticed how her eyes flickered with emotion at Satoshi's name. He frowned with concern for her, wondering if she'd be alright if she saw Hiwatari in class. But Risa and Riku didn't notice anything like that and the long-haired sister perked at the mention of the genius.

"Oh! So _that's_ why I've seen you two in the halls! I wasn't sure what was going on between you two and I was wondering what he was doing with you," Risa said, smiling as though she hadn't just said something rude. Her older sister hadn't missed it, however, and she shot her twin a look.

"Risa!" the tomboy exclaimed, "That wasn't nice." She grinned apologetically to Sayo and the female Tamer blinked, quizzical about what Risa had so rudely said to her. "Sorry, Risa can be a bit of an airhead sometimes and doesn't realize when she's said something she shouldn't."

Sayo smiled. "Oh, that's okay. From what I gather about Hiwatari, half the time, I wonder the same thing she does. I don't mind," she assured the girl. Just then, they all reached the entrance of the school and at once, they stopped, smiling at each other.

"Well, Risa and I have to go this way. We'll see you two around, right?" Riku explained, jabbing her thumb toward a crowd of giggling girls. Sayo and Daisuke nodded and watched the two walk with their classmates. When they were finally out of view, Daisuke turned to look at Sayo, his eyes holding back the concerned gaze he wanted to give her. He hoped she could handle class, with Hiwatari there with her, but knew by now not to ask about it. Besides, Sayo would just wave it away with a grin or something.

Sayo slowly turned her eyes toward Daisuke, the smile on her face still plastered onto her lips as though she was a portrait and it had been painted there for all time. Despite that, he thought he'd see the reluctant sadness in her eyes, but she didn't seem too upset about having to see the blue-haired Tamer in class. In fact, she seemed a bit too excited and that made Daisuke even more wary. He could feel Dark's curiosity toward the girl peak as well, the Thief clearly confused and also worried about her.

"So, see you at lunch, right?" Sayo asked the boy, snapping him out of his thoughts, and he gave her a small smile, nodding.

"Right." She waved a little to him before walking toward her own homeroom and Daisuke watched her retreat from him before heaving a soft sigh to himself and making his way to his own homeroom. He knew his mind would be off, distracted by the thoughts of Sayo and how she would be doing before lunch came.

* * *

As Sayo walked down the hallway toward her homeroom where she knew Hiwatari would be in, she braced herself for what was to come. She still didn't know what she'd say to him, if he even spoke to her, or if he'd even be in school that day. All she could do is walk in the room and check. Then she'd worry about everything else.

Whenever she tried to remember the previous day, all she could picture was Krad's cold grin, as if excited at the thought of killing her and it terrified her. She didn't want to encounter that ever again, and from that, she wondered what Satoshi was feeling about it. Did he hate himself for it? Or had he given up on trying to re-gain control over his body, which lead to Krad chasing her the way he had? She didn't know... And she wasn't sure if she _wanted_ to know.

Unfortunately, when Sayo glanced inside the classroom, she saw the blue hair that still managed to speed her heart up and she took a deep breath and walked to her desk, which was beside his. He had his head down in a book, the title half-obscured by his pale hand and what she did see, it was some other language. That made her smile slightly in amusement. He was so smart that he could read books in leisure, even in different languages.

When she sat down, however, his head raised and their eyes met. Sayo's amber hues were wide and filled with uncertain pain while Satoshi's were the usual distant blue, but this time, she saw a flicker of something in them; before she could figure out what, it disappeared and he was back to his usual self.

"Miss Aisaka..." he murmured to her in greeting, bowing his head a little. It snapped Sayo out of her shock enough to bow her head in return, unable to speak. It didn't seem as though he was going to address what had happened and she wanted so much to know how he felt about it. So she decided to bring it up herself.

"Hiwatari..." she began, leaning toward him and lowering her voice so their fellow classmates couldn't hear her. Satoshi looked toward her, curiosity now in his eyes but his face blank. She gulped silently. "A-about yesterday..." His eyes lowered at that and he placed a small bookmark into his book, keeping his place as he turned his full attention to her.

"I thought you'd ask me about that," he sighed softly, closing his eyes for a small moment before staring down at his desk. "I didn't want it to happen, you have to know. But it did, and to top it off, he scared both you _and_ Amber." He turned his head from her so she couldn't see his expression but she imagined it was one of regret and sadness, as his tone indicated. "I'm sorry, Miss Aisaka. I understand if you want nothing more to do with me-"

"What?" Sayo gaped, cutting off Satoshi's words there. "H-Hiwatari, I know you didn't mean it to happen and that you didn't _want_ it to happen. Everything was Krad's doing, so why should you blame yourself?" Satoshi turned his head back towards her at her words, his eyes wide with surprise and she nodded in confirmation. "I mean it. I mean, Krad's really scary and everything, but that's not _you_. If it was, I would never like you like I do. Y'know?"

Sayo blushed a bit as she finished, but kept the smile on her face. Satoshi merely stared at her, as if trying to get over the shock of her accepting what had happened so easily. He figured she would've been too afraid to sit next to him, let alone speak to him! But here she was, sitting next to him and saying that she still accepted him; not only that, but she was even accepting the cold, hard truth about Krad! She truly was unlike any other girl he'd ever met...

Satoshi slowly let a smile grace his lips, and he could feel blood rush to his cheeks a little, but he didn't turn his head from her. He kept his eyes on her and let her see the effect she had on him. "Thank you... Miss Aisaka..." he murmured, chuckling softly before allowing his cool demeanor return and continued reading his book until the teacher came in.

Sayo smiled to herself as he did, and turned to the front, a weight lifted from her heart. She saw the blush on his cheeks. And he had to've definitely seen the blush on _her_ face. Did this mean he liked her back, then? She certainly hoped so. But she wasn't going to ask about it until a few months after they knew each other. Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing if her hunch was wrong and he didn't like her like she did with him.

_"Hey, so now that you're in a good mood, will you talk to me again?"_ Amber asked eagerly, tone hopeful and Sayo could see the older girl grinning like a puppy waiting for a treat from their angry master. Sayo could only grin to the Thief in her mind widely, though everyone in her class would only see a small smile.

_'Go to hell,'_ Sayo chirped to her other half before setting off with her first class that morning.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! :D I know it's been forever since the last time I updated, but things have been going hay-wire yet again for me. My final exams start tomorrow, so** **don't expect another update for a long time. :( Anyway, I hope you like it and don't forget- read and review! :D **

* * *

Two hours later, in the second period of the morning before lunchtime, Daisuke was feeling just a bit better about his worry for Sayo. While he sat through his homeroom and first period, he could sense the concern and thought from Dark; clearly, the Phantom was just as frazzled about the girl as much as Daisuke was. Of course, that was obvious, anyway, from the way the ruby-haired Tamer could see Sayo through Dark's eyes in their mind. Daisuke thought it was sweet how the amethyst-eyed Thief saw Sayo- like a stubborn-headed but radiating young lady who would easily grow up to be a woman who'd need a stick to beat her suitors off. The boy could also tell, though he didn't fully understand, that Sayo seemed to be the first girl Dark had liked very much since Rika forty years prior. Knowing this, Daisuke felt it was a huge deal and wanted to do what he could to help his friend with getting Sayo's attention- so long as it didn't take Daisuke's own attention from gaining Risa's favor, of course. He didn't want the brunette twin to think he had suddenly lost interest in her and switched to Sayo.

But the concern had dropped slightly once Daisuke visited Sayo's classroom between periods and recess. He had planned on simply saying hello to her and Satoshi, but when he saw how well they were getting along inside, when Daisuke paused at the doorway of the class, he knew better than to disturb their conversation. Not just because it would be rude to do so, but also because he had never seen Hiwatari look so happy before than he did talking with Sayo. Even from the distance, Daisuke could see the cold, distant look in the blue-haired male's eyes had melted away as Sayo mutely spoke to him about something and the way he smiled and appeared to quietly laugh with her at whatever they were talking about. It was a new side of Satoshi that the doe-eyed Tamer had never seen before. It seemed having Sayo around was good for more than just one reason. She was chipping away at Satoshi's icy personality faster than Daisuke ever could.

It was for this reason that both Dark and Daisuke weren't as worried about Sayo and her feelings regarding seeing Satoshi again. Now, though, in Home Ec with the twins beside him during second period, he couldn't help but continue trying to see more of Sayo through Dark's eyes. He figured there was more to the girl than he himself could see and that Dark's view of her would help him understand her more for future use. But, as he expected from Dark, all he could really understand was the aspect of Sayo that concentrated more on her looks, including how utterly cute she appeared when she was riled up (which happened a lot when Dark had control and 'happened' to drop by her house just to flirt with her) and how attractive she'd look once she got older. Nothing of good use for him, which was far from what Daisuke had expected to find in his other half's mind.

But of course, that only meant that Daisuke had to understand her better the natural way- talking to her and being around her. He wasn't complaining about that, though. He liked Sayo a lot, so he always looked forward to seeing Sayo outside of school. And as much as he didn't admit aloud, he thought Sayo was on par with Risa in terms of beauty, with those wide, expressive amber eyes and flowing black hair that shone blond in certain light.

_"Oh? So you agree that Sayo's beautiful, do you?"_ Dark teased suddenly, snapping his Tamer out of his rambling train of thought. Daisuke jolted, face turning red when he realized that the Thief could also see what he was thinking. Risa and Riku on either side of him looked at him with confusion, both with a raised eyebrow. Daisuke quickly returned to his task of stirring the stock in the pot that they were making beef stew in, acting like nothing had happened.

"Niwa, are you okay?" Riku asked, leaning slightly over her chopping board of carrots slices to glance up at the boy's reddened face. "You were zoned out there for a good few minutes and now you're red. Do you want to go to the nurse?"

Daisuke gave the tomboy a reassuring smile, shaking his head as he hooked the end of the metal ladle against the inside of the pot. "No, no, I'm fine. I guess I didn't get as much sleep last night as I thought," he told her, waving his hands to brush away her concern. Riku looked at him for another moment before shrugging nonchalantly and returning to her chopping. Releasing a silent breath of relief, Daisuke turned to the pot again, staring into its murky brown contents that was waiting for the meat and vegetables that would complete the meal.

"So," Risa's sly voice drawled out from his left, and when he glanced over to look at her, he saw the conspiring glint in her brown eyes and sweat dropped nervously. She had been preparing the beef chunks in a frying pan- shockingly, she wasn't half bad with cooking meat- and was now looking at him with a small grin.

"Er, yes?" Daisuke anxiously answered her, half dreading what she was going to ask him. It was impossible to tell when it came to Risa- though that unpredictability was something Daisuke liked about her- but he could never help but feel just a bit cornered when she started her sentences like that. He could never say no to her or lie to her (with the exception of the topic of Dark, anyway) so he always wondered and slightly worried what she would ask him.

"You seem to be close with Miss Aisaka for just knowing her a few days," Risa went on, pretending to be casual with one hand on her hip and using the other to mix around the beef in the sizzling pan. "Is there anything you're not saying about her, like say, any particular reason she's hanging around Hiwatari, for instance."

Daisuke understood a bit then as to what Risa was trying to get at. Just a bit of gossip about the still freshly-new transfer student. He smiled, with a mildly relieved hint, and laughed lightly.

"Well, actually, Hiwatari was asked to show her around the school. Apparently, he's in nearly all of her classes." he explained brightly, playing with the neck hole of his apron as he waited for the teacher to tell them to put the meat and veggies into the stock. Risa seemed to digest this information, nodding seriously as she kept her eyes on the beef pieces. Daisuke couldn't help but keep the smile on his face, a bit amused by how earnest she was with the meat and the tidbit on Sayo and Satoshi. Was she really _that_ interested in Sayo? Or was it Satoshi she was actually curious about? Daisuke couldn't figure it out for the life of him, but guessed it didn't really matter that much after all. Just then, the teacher belted out in his loud, gruff voice that the beef and vegetables were to be added that instant. As the twins did just that, Daisuke reached for the ladle, unaware that he'd left the scoop part in the liquid and the handle was now nearly scalding hot. The moment the heat reached his fingers, Daisuke yelped and dropped the utensil, nearly splashing the sisters with the hot stock. Mr. Takeida went over to their station, glaring angrily at the boy with a scowl.

"_Niwa_! What did I say at the very beginning of this class about the ladles?" the burly man barked scoldingly to the teen, who looked apologetic as he ran the tips of his fingers under ice cold water from the sink. "If kept in the pot for too long and still in contact with the beef stock, the handle will be _very hot_! Even a simpleton would remember something like that!"

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," Daisuke murmured, avoiding the man's eyes as he carefully picked the ladle up again and stirred the stew, now thicker from the added ingredients. The teacher grunted, arms crossed, and made his way back to the front of the classroom where his own kitchenette station was. Daisuke sighed quietly and felt the whispering eyes on his back, knowing that Mr. Takeida would most likely keep him after school to teach him some kind of lesson related to ladles.

_"That's what you get for spacing out on fantasies of Risa,"_ Dark chuckled, teasing once again. Daisuke inwardly groaned and frowned, trying to ignore the older male in his mind. _"Oh, but if you _do_ stay behind after school, you might want to tell Sayo so. You're supposed to go to her place after, right?"_ Dark added, as though he'd just remembered it himself. At that, Daisuke groaned a second time and wanted to hang his head at how absentminded he was today. He could hear Dark's laughter in his mind and wished he would stop it- he never did see how his mistakes were so funny to the Thief.

"Wow, Niwa, are you _sure_ you're okay? That must've been the first time you did that with the ladle," Riku exclaimed quietly so the teacher didn't hear. She gave him a sympathetic frown, clicking her tongue softly. "You're probably gonna be staying an hour or two after school for this now. And here I was hoping you'd watch my lacrosse game this evening, too." She sighed heavily and took over Daisuke's stirring job. "Oh well. There's not much we can't do now, is there?"

Daisuke could only watch the two girls discuss spices to add into the stew, as if he was looking through a distant window or something. His mind drifted to Sayo in her class, whatever subject she was working on now, and how he had to tell her that he couldn't go to her house after school. A part of him was disappointed about that; he'd been looking forward to finally seeing what exactly a Crazy Cake was and now he couldn't. It was as Riku had said, though, there wasn't much he could do now.

With that, Daisuke forced the thought of Sayo and her Crazy Cake from his mind and finished the food they were preparing, though in the back of his mind, she still managed to tickle his thoughts somehow.


	14. Chapter 14

Lunchtime finally came around and once again, the trio was sitting together, Sayo talking to Daisuke about what had happened from morning sessions and both trying to engage Satoshi into the conversation. The blue-haired Commander still didn't speak much, other than the occasional comment here and there about something silly, speaking with such a serious expression, the two friends sometimes couldn't tell if he was being for real or if he was joking.

"Oh," Daisuke said, just remembering about Home Ec class and how the teacher had told him to stay behind after school a half hour. Sayo and Satoshi glanced over to the ruby-eyed boy, their faces mildly curious. "Miss Aisaka, I'm afraid I won't be able to come to your house after school today," Daisuke told her with an apologetic smile, looking down at his bento sheepishly. "Mr. Takeida wants me to clean all the ladles we used during class as punishment earlier."

Sayo blinked, obviously disappointed, but smiled and shrugged a bit nonetheless. She took a dainty bite of her rice. "Well, it's all you can do. Maybe you can come over tomorrow instead," she suggested nonchalantly, but the ruby-haired Tamer could sense the longing in her words. She had clearly been just as excited to have him come over as he was to finally figure out what her cake was. However, Daisuke smiled back and nodded, leaving the conversation with just that, finishing the last of his own lunch. Saotshi's ice-blue gaze went between the two others as they had spoken, silent as usual but more observant than he looked. The monotoned teen could tell that there was something going on between the girl and red-headed Tamer, but needed more information to tell him just what that 'something' was. In the meantime, his chest gave a light flutter and it startled the Commander enough for his eyes to flicker briefly to where it had come from.

What was _that_ about? For his life, the blue-haired teen couldn't remember a time when he'd felt this before. A faint cackle came from inside his mind and Satoshi narrowed his eyes, the action small enough that the other two at the table couldn't see it. He could barely see Krad within him, smirking so obscenely that he looked more crazed than usual, if _that_ was even possible. The blond's arms were crossed and his sun-filled eyes looked back at his Tamer through their shared eyes.

_"What, you really don't understand what's going on, Master Satoshi?"_ the devilish angel laughed, the smirk growing with amusement. Satoshi could feel his mood getting irritated by the Phantom's riddled words, tried to push him away and ignore the older spirit, but failed as Krad continued pushing himself against Satoshi's thoughts.

_"Whether you like it or not, Master Satoshi, you will find that you care for that girl more than you know,"_ the man continued in a dark tone, causing a scowl to form on the pale boy's face from frustration. He really did hate it when his other half spoke in riddles. He could do practically any math equation, figure out dozens of escape routes from just one glance inside a room and even read aged Latin books as if they'd been written in plain English. But the one thing he couldn't seem to do after all these years was understand what Krad said from time to time when he decided to speak all strange and secret code-like.

_'I told you before, Miss Aisaka is nothing but a... friend,'_ Satoshi repeated himself to the other Black Wings work, hesitating on the last word like it was a foreign concept to him. Krad merely chuckled then vanished from their mind, leaving behind only an echoing peal of laughter to make a shiver run through the boy.

Only a second later was he interrupted by Sayo, her slightly confused and concerned expression suddenly appearing in his line of vision. The silent teen blinked, raising an eyebrow with mild curiosity as to why she was staring at him. Then he realized that Daisuke was also looking at him, his own version of Sayo's look on his face.

Sayo pulled away from Satoshi, sitting back normally in her seat. "You seemed like you were in a trance or something; you okay, Hiwatari?" she explained, ending with a nervous twist of her hair that had come over her shoulder. Daisuke nodded in agreement and Satoshi shook his head, cleaning the mess of his lunch that was still spread in front of him, his face expressionless as he always had it.

"I'm fine," he said in a distant tone, not wanting to dwell on the brief tidbit of useless possible information Krad had exchanged with him a mere moment ago. "Just... I'm fine. Don't worry," he added at the sight of Sayo's relentless worried amber eyes. After keeping his eyes locked on hers as though to send her a telepathic message to believe him, Sayo finally sighed softly and nodded in defeated, letting go of her hair and having it return to behind her back.

"Alright, fine.." she said quietly, looking not all like she believed him. But it was the best either would get, so Satoshi decided to leave it at that. Sensing the growing tense air between the two, Daisuke smiled brightly and turned to Satoshi, needing to fill the silence with cheerful conversation.

"Say, Hiwatari, has Miss Aisaka told you anything about this Crazy Cake of hers yet?" the red-eyed Tamer chirped, receiving a single brow raise, which obviously meant not. Daisuke's smile faltered a bit, having hoped that the other boy had been told more about it than himself. But it seemed not. But now it looked like Satoshi was curious about the odd-named dessert and glanced toward Sayo, who was polishing off the last of her soda. She gulped down the last mouthful before realizing that the boys were staring at her, and blinked widely at them.

"What?" she asked, looking between the two.

"What exactly is this... Crazy Cake?" Satoshi asked with a hint of amusement in his words. Sayo flushed very lightly under his scrutiny and looked down at her lap, playing with the hem on his shirt collar.

"Ah... It's a cake," she began with a smile that meant 'duh, what else?', "And um.. it's basically..."

Just as she began to explain what it was, however, the shrill sound of the lunch bell ringing loudly all around, breaking Sayo's words. She frowned and glanced up toward the ceiling as if that was the source of the main bell. Satoshi and Daisuke stood from the table, gathering their bento boxes and ridding the table of its garbage they had. Snapping out of her daze of the bell, Sayo did the same, walking to the doorway after the crowd of students and smiled at her guy friends.

"So, you have detention after school, right, Niwa?" she asked the fire-haired Tamer, who nodded in agreement with a quiet groan of reluctance. "And you might actually come over after school tomorrow instead. Alright, well, I'll see you on the train home, I guess." She waved a bit toward the cheerful Tamer before walking with Satoshi to their afternoon class. Daisuke smiled and waved back, turning on his heel to trot to his own classes after Sayo and Satoshi disappeared from sight.

Minutes later, in class that was just starting, Daisuke was still kind of grinning to himself, a glow of calm around him for all to see. Even Saehara noticed and was slightly freaked out by it to not go near his friend. Dark noticed it as well and decided to pipe up about it.

_"You're in an awfully good mood. Especially for someone who's gotta spend a few hours after school washing ladles,"_ the smooth Thief commented with a chuckle. Daisuke jolted, eyes wide at the mention. His hands paused on taking his textbook out of his book bag as he thought about that, then smiled more and shrugged.

_'Well, that's better than being miserable for the rest of the day, right?'_ he replied through their bond. He could see Dark grinning with surprised amusement in the back of his mind, an eyebrow raised just like Satoshi's minutes ago, but with the flair that only Dark could use.

_"Could this perhaps have anything to do with... _Sayo_?"_ Dark teased, his voice getting more prominent as the Thief leaned forward in the bond and snickered. Daisuke paused again, blinking. For a moment, Dark would have sworn the kid was going to agree with shock, but just like the other part of him figured, Daisuke finally shook his head, the smile becoming a bit goofy.

_'No way,'_ Daisuke denied with a pleasant chuckle, _'I guess it's just that I'm seeing how friendlier Hiwatari's getting with Miss Aisaka. I'm glad he's getting more social after all this time. It's nice to see him like that. That's all.'_

Dark would've sweat dropped wearily from how oblivious his Tamer was being, but since he was stuck inside the boy's body at the moment, the most he was capable of doing was sighing heavily and hoping he could see the Phantom shaking his hung head, hand to his forehead.

_"You really are naïve sometimes, Dai.."_ the spirit sighed affectionately, allowing his friend to start his classes, falling silent.

* * *

_"Still depressed that Niwa couldn't come over after all?"_ Amber asked casually while Sayo tried to figure out how to ask for some money in English. The raven-haired girl frowned and bit the eraser of her pencil, thinking. She shook her head, scratching down some answer she figured would be wrong- English class wasn't exactly her favorite or well-done class- and closed her eyes, focusing on Amber's question.

_'I'm not _depressed_,'_ she corrected with a lot of emphasis on the last word, _'A bit disappointed, but he's coming over tomorrow, so I can wait another day longer to make some more Crazy Cake. It's more fun making it with a friend, anyway.'_

A short silence and for a moment, Sayo thought that Amber had nothing else to say. But this was Amber, the mysterious Phantom that always had something to say about everything, even if it wasn't funny or sarcastic. She always had to have the last word in, no matter what. Which was why Sayo waited until her other half spoke up again, waiting for that quip that made Amber Amber and unlike any other Phantom.

_"You could always invite Hiwatari over today,"_ Amber suggested, sounding innocent but her implication being far from innocent. Sayo mentally groaned and rolled her eyes to herself, continuing to nibble on the small pink eraser on the end of her wood pencil. Amber went on, defending herself, almost. _"Hey, you like him, remember? This would be a great way to have some alone time with him and know him even better than you do already!"_

_ 'Yeah, sounds fairly good, except for one thing,'_ Sayo interjected dryly, frowning, _'I barely know Hiwatari. He might not like desserts, for all I know. What makes you think he'd wanna come over without the prospect of learning more about your past?'_

_ "The simple fact that he likes you, stupid, duh. If you haven't noticed that at this point, then you are going to be a sorry adult when you get older,"_ Amber sighed heavily, and Sayo could swear she was shaking her head with defeat at her Tamer. But Sayo blinked, confused as to what the older woman meant, only toying with the idea of Hiwatari liking her in return. A light flush went to her cheeks then but she quickly cleared it away, shaking her head sharply a few times.

_'Guys like Hiwatari never have the time of days for girls like me- not romantically, anyway. You should know that by now, Amber, what with all those lame chick flicks you force me to watch with you.'_

Amber rolled her eyes and sighed again, this time keeping her mouth shut so the teacher wouldn't think Sayo was slacking off with her work. Meanwhile, Sayo thought hard about everything. While it seemed that Satoshi may like her as more than a friend, she hadn't really hung out with him. The only time was when they were looking for things related to Amber and her creation, which had lead to the horrifying appearance of that white-clad devil, Krad.

Sayo cast a glance next to her where Satoshi sat, workbook closed as he was already finished the assigned questions, head now buried into whatever book he was reading that week. She looked away, staring down at her half blank paper that was due at the bell.

Did Satoshi really like her because of her, or because of some other reason? Was he just using her to get to Amber, to find out about the mysterious woman that suddenly popped into his life? Or did he truly want to be around Sayo, and Krad was the one enforcing the search on the female Phantom?

So many questions sprouting, so very little time to find the answers to them since there were only ten minutes left to class.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello all! As you can tell, I've been updating more and more lately. I'm not sure exactly how long that's going to last, but we can only hope, right, haha. Anyway, I figured I'd add in a disclaimer once in a while for those readers who wish to read it in the beginning of every chapter. **

**I do not own D.N. Angel, the characters or anything like that. They belong to Yukiru Sugisaki herself. The only things I happen to own are the plot, Amber and Sayo. And even then, it might be debateable ^^''**

**Anyway, I shall bug you readers no longer with my nonsensical babble! On with the plot! :D  
**

* * *

"Miss Aisaka, would you care for me to keep you company tonight? Since Niwa won't be able to join you, I mean."

Sayo blinked for a quick moment while she tried to process what the blue-haired Commander had suddenly asked her. He'd shown up next to her while she was taking her jacket from her locker at the end of the day, startled enough by his abrupt appearance to jump slightly and feel her heart thump hard in her chest. She stared up at the boy, unsure what he had asked exactly, until he raised an eyebrow a bit.

"Well? Would that be alright with you?" he repeated. Sayo snapped herself out of her daze and thought for a second. On the one hand, she was delighted Hiwatari wanted to hang with her after school and would gladly accept his request in a second, but on the other hand, he might just be after more information about Amber. She bit her bottom lip, torn between her heart and logic.

_"Oh, just say yes already!"_ Amber cried with exasperation, getting frustrated with the conflicting thoughts in her Tamer. The black-haired girl scowled mentally and wished there was a mute button, not for the hundredth time. _"C'mon! It's not like he said that he wanted to steal all your valuables, right? This is your chance to know him better and see if he's really worth all this trouble."_

For the first time that she could remember, Sayo realized that Amber was right. It wasn't like Satoshi would purposely do or say anything that would endanger her. They were friends, after all.

Finally, Sayo managed a smile for Satoshi and tucked some hair out of her eyes, nodding. "That would be awesome, actually," she told him, sounding breathless. Satoshi returned her smile with his own- the smirk version, anyway. He nodded silently and waited while she gathered her things quickly, closing the locker loudly and locking it. She could hear Amber in the back of her mind, chuckling softly as though proud or at least happy for her Tamer.

As the two walked down the hallways to leave the school, Sayo skipped slightly with giddiness. "So, what do you want to do when we get to my place, Hiwatari?" she asked, eager to spend some time alone that didn't have anything to do with their curses or Amber's secret past. The genius shrugged lightly, adjusting his book bag over his shoulder as they neared the closed door of Mr. Takeida's Home Ec room.

"Anything is fine with me," he said, his voice for once soft instead of toneless. "I'd like to know more about _you_, though." A blush went to Sayo's cheeks at that, noticing the way Satoshi's blue gaze seemed to linger on her when he turned his head to look at her. She smiled gently, suddenly shy with the idea of being alone with the boy. She looked away, shaking her head sheepishly.

"Nah, I'm not that interesting. Not as much as you'd think, anyway," she chuckled with embarrassment. In the corner of her eye, she could see Satoshi opening his mouth to speak again, but the door to Mr. Takeida's classroom opened then and both teens stopped to see who it was.

Daisuke jolted with surprise when he saw his friends, closing the door behind him, and smiled widely.

"I thought you had detention, Niwa," Sayo said, confused. It wasn't even fifteen minutes since school ended. Daisuke laughed and rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks tinted pink.

"Ah, I did, but it seems Miss Harada came in my place. She said that it was her fault for distracting me into putting the ladle on the pot side," he explained and Sayo blinked, eyes widening with the sudden realization of the short-haired twin's intention toward Daisuke. It seemed she liked the boy and couldn't find a way to tell him. At that, Sayo giggled and smiled, amused by Dark's counterpart's obliviousness.

"I see," she sang out, her smile becoming wider. Daisuke looked at her, eyes wide as well as he wondered why she looked so mischievous suddenly. "You should repay her soon, Niwa, for taking the blame for you. She's doing you a _huge_ favor, y'know, so you'll have to do something equally nice for _her_ in return."

Daisuke nodded in agreement, still smiling, and walked along side the two as they began walking again. "You're right. I wonder what I should do for her," he mused aloud, clearly unable to think of anything. Sayo only smiled more, enjoying the view. Then he shook his head and looked at her and Satoshi. "Anyway, you're headed home, right? I'm afraid that I still can't join you there, Miss Aisaka. I got a message from my mother that I have to go straight home when I was done here so I can get ready for another heist tonight," he explained, sounding disappointed that he had to steal something that night. Sayo laughed and patted his back sympathetically.

"Poor you. I guess this means I'll be having a nightly visit from Dark, huh?" she assumed, oddly looking forward to seeing the confident Thief again. Daisuke smiled apologetically.

"I'll do my best to keep him away, but this _is_ Dark we're talking about. He does his very best to go and do what he wants." Sayo laughed again, agreeing with that sad little fact. The three of them finally reached the student entrance of Azumano Junior High and paused. "So, Hiwatari, are you going to Miss Aisaka's house? Have fun if you are," he asked, glancing over to the pale-skinned teenager, who nodded silently in his expressionless way. But the red-haired Tamer caught the sight of a glimmer of something in the blue eyes looking back at him, and wondered if it had anything to do with the girl standing between them, smiling as though nothing was being noticed or thought about.

After a moment of just smiles and glances at one another, Sayo finally inhaled sharply and gently grabbed Satoshi's shirt sleeve, waving to Daisuke and heading down the steps leading to the trail that would bring them to the train station. Although her smile was eager and wide with excitement, she felt a pang from inside her that came from Amber. She ignored it for a moment to say good bye to her red-headed friend and head toward the trail with the other boy.

"Are you always this perky?" Satoshi asked quietly with a half smirk, his icy eyes peering over to Sayo. She blinked at him then laughed, shrugging as they waited on the steps with other students of different ages for the train. Leaning against the wall behind her, Sayo raised her head up to stare into the darkening sunset, grinning softly.

"When you've had an entity like Amber sharing your body all your life... you know that at any moment, you'd have to move because someone finally realized your secret," she murmured quietly, as though remembering her old town, "or because she somehow came out one night and caused so much damage that in order to get back to a normal life again, you'd have to move once again and keep all your friends behind.

"I eventually figured out that in order to keep a relatively happy-ish life, I just had to stay happy. Even if the worst thing happened, I remembered how lucky I am to be alive when I could've been killed by my parent's killer as well." Sayo shrugged casually then. "That's all. So basically, yeah. I am always this perky."

It was at that moment, listening to Sayo speak so sadly, so distantly, so fondly about everything, that Satoshi realized something himself. She, in a way, resembled himself, just without the maniacal, psychotic spirit in her of course. But she _did_ have an equally dangerous entity that could any minute come out and ruin her life without remorse. While he coped by distancing himself from people so he didn't wind up hurting them, Sayo coped with constant cheerfullness and optimism, even if it wasn't real from time to time. But she didn't want to let down the ones close to her, so she couldn't show her true colors when she wanted.

Satoshi, without a thought, reached out to take Sayo's hand in his, to tell her silently that he would help her show them however he could; if he could. But just as his fingers brushed against the side of her palm, the train came up to the station and Sayo pushed off the wall, away from his grasp. She smiled behind her shoulder to him and, because of the clattering din around them, mouthed something to him. Then she began walking toward the entrance of the train box, leaving Satoshi to stand still where he was, watching her enter the train. Despite not having touched anything, he still felt a slight tingle in his fingertips, which had brushed her palm mere seconds ago. Hands clenching into loose fists, Satoshi realized the absolute truth about everything that had happened the past few days to him.

Half smiling with self-triumph, Satoshi finally climbed onto the train, finding that Sayo had saved him a seat beside her, and ignored the growing pain in his chest that he knew was from his blond counterpart.

* * *

"Daisuke!" Emiko cried out with pure glee, giggling as her son emerged from his room in his latest outfit she made for him. He sighed heavily and simply allowed her to adjust hems here and there as she needed. She stepped back and admired her work on her child. "You look so handsome! I can't wait to see Dark in it, either! I'll bet he'll look dashing in it, too!"

As she spoke, Daisuke removed the flip photo book that he had with Risa's picture in it, half listening with exasperation to what Emiko was gushing about. He nodded here and there, but otherwise, his mind strayed to the brief conversation he had earlier with Sayo. She had seemed to happy, so excited when he asked about Hiwatari going to her house. The thought of her smiling face made a smile creep to his own and he softly chuckled. Seeing her and Hiwatari becoming closer made Daisuke happy. It was nice to see the two getting amicable; Satoshi would grow to have more friends and Sayo would finally have a real home, with Hiwatari and Daisuke as her 'family'.. The idea made Daisuke smile even more.

_"Or maybe it makes you happy because you _like_ her,"_ Dark said, half dryly and half jokingly. Daisuke shook his head in denial and the Thief inside him sighed heavily. But then his words came with a grin, _"Well, if you don't like her, then that means Sayo's all mine! After all, it's really Risa you're in love with, right? You won't have any objections to me having her for myself."_

Once again, Daisuke sighed mentally at his other half, wondering how the amethyst-haired male could always seem so confident about his so-called love life.

But before his thoughts could dive any farther, he was snapped out of his bond when his mother tapped the flip photo book and giggling eagerly. He nodded and opened it, bringing the picture of his Sacred Maiden to view and waiting for the change into Dark to begin.

But nothing happened.

* * *

"That's weird," Sayo commented with a frown as she switched off her television and returned to the kitchen where Satoshi sat. "It seems that Dark's heist's been delayed or something. He hasn't shown up on TV yet for his usual showing off for his fans." When Satoshi raised his eyebrow to show his own disbelief at her words, she sat, looking equally confused. "I know; it's so weird, isn't it? I hope nothing happened to Niwa. He seemed fine when we saw him after school, right?" She gave a worried sigh and fiddled with her used napkin from the snack she'd made for her and Satoshi before shaking her head and grinning.

"Anyway! I'm sure Niwa's fine- he probably ran into something and his mother forgot to send in a note to explain his absense," she said, waving away the concern with a hand as she stood. "So, what do you say to finishing our homework? The faster we get it over with, the faster we can get to playing some games, right?"

Sensing her phony cheerfulness, Satoshi merely nodded and helepd clear the dishes from the table, bringing it to the sink beside her. He laid them in and paused, turning his head just as she turned to walk away, but the sudden appearance of him next to her made her stop and they looked at each other, eyes locking and completely still.

Sayo blushed lightly, aware of how close they were standing, only inches apart, and wished she could do something; her body wouldn't move her away. It was like it was insistant of her staying put and urged her forward for something else.

"Miss Aisaka, you..." Satoshi murmured quietly, raising a hand to her face slowly, causing her blush to darken just a bit. Then a light smirk went to his lips and he gently flicked a strand of her hair from its messy arrangement in her bangs. "Somehow, your hair got tangled in itself. Figured I'd fix it for you; you're welcome."

Then he stepped back and allowed her to walk from the counter, his expression returning to its blank slate. Snapping out of her slight daze, Sayo looked away and nodded, scurrying from him.

_'I can't believe I really thought he would kiss me..!'_ she thought feverishly, making her way up the stairway with the Commander right behind her. _'How could I let my imagination get away from me? Keep a straight head, Sayo. Hiwatari isn't interested in you like that. He never will.'_

As she thought this, she entered her bedroom and began tidying up so that Satoshi wouldn't think her as a slob. While he stood in the doorway with their book bags at his feet, she grabbed papers from previous studies and such, shoving them into her closet so that she could clear them up properly later. But as she did, however, she wound up pushing something shoebox-sized onto the floor from the shelf. Curious, she knelt down and noticed it _was_ a shoebox, one she didn't recall ever putting on the shelf any time in the past. She removed the lid and took a piece of the contents, seeing that it was a small, yellowed book- not unlike the diary she'd seen days earlier the evening Krad first came out.

Before she knew it, Satoshi had come up beside her, also kneeling to see what she was looking at. Without a word, she glanced up at him, they shared a nod, and Sayo slowly- and with shaky hands- opened it to a random page. It had the same handwriting as before and same type of drawings on the pages. Sayo silently read and at a certain point, her eyes widened in confusion. Satoshi read the same part and his own eyes widened, this time in shock.

" 'While we continued finding a way to counter The Black Wings and its magic, Kira suddenly had an idea: if the Black Wings were created as males, then perhaps making another piece as a female would sooth its temper and we would finally be known as the greatest artist family in history.' "

" 'It's not as we'd hoped. It seems Amber has become more uncontrollable and earlier this evening, she killed a few of the artists on our team. She's getting untamable; soon, we won't be able to handle her any longer and she might find a way out of the basement to wreak upon the town.' "

" 'It's because of Krad. He's done it all through her.' "

When Sayo finished reading the entry, she raised her gaze to Satoshi's who looked right back with dismay. The jigsaw pieced more in her mind until finally, she realized in a sharp gasp, "Amber wasn't just created by your family, Hiwatari. She also killed people for Krad... I knew she claimed to do anything for him, but this... _this_ is too much."

As Sayo sat there, crying silently over the new knowledge and what that might happen to her soon, Satoshi could only stare widely at the page she read from, his mind for once numbed so much he couldn't think right. He knew, though, that there was still more to learn about Amber and what was in store for both Phantom and Tamer.


	16. Chapter 16

The rest of the evening was silent, neither of the teens sure of what to make of the recent discovery of Amber's past. They were sitting in Sayo's living room on the couch, staring at the floor with the buzz of the television on just for background noise. Sayo was trying to understand why exactly Amber would have killed people, even if Krad had told her to. It partly made sense since the female Phantom really _would_ do anything for the blond maniac, but all the same, she still didn't seem malicious enough to go through with the task and not have immense feelings of guilt in the end. She couldn't even watch disaster movies without cringing into the depths of her Tamer's mind.

_"The funny thing is, I don't even remember doing any of that stuff,"_ the artwork said with surprise; Sayo could see her biting on her thumbnail in thought, trying to figure it out as well. _"I mean, if Krad had told me to do it, then it makes a bit more sense, but even if that's the case, I'd remember it, right?"_

_'Well, how far back _do_ you remember?'_ Sayo asked, hoping that would give another clue to the mystery that still wrapped around Amber. She didn't worry about ignoring Satoshi- from the deep look on his pale face, it seemed as though he was trying to get information from his other half as well.

_"Well, I definitely remember when you were born. That's when I emerged, too,"_ Amber explained, sighing heavily like it was a hassle to think back that far. _"I don't know, there was a lot of stuff I went through with your parents and you, okay? You can't expect me to remember everything I see and hear! Gimme a break, Sayo! I don't have a photographic memory."_

Lips twitching down in a slight scowl, Sayo rolled her eyes and heaved a great growling sigh, stretching, the first movement she'd made in fifteen minutes. "If only there was a way to unlock whatever memories you don't remember having," she muttered aloud, shaking her head, "Then we wouldn't have to waste time on doing this crap."

She stood up and suddenly, Satoshi did as well, startling the black-haired girl for a moment before she noticed the glint in his eyes that proved he had an idea. He turned to give Sayo a triumphant smirk, his whole body almost trembling with excitement, and Sayo stared at him like he'd gone mental.

"There might be a way to do that," he told her, sounding like his normal calm despite the dancing in his eyes. "I'll have to look it up, but my family- the Hikari, not Hiwatari- just might have a way to uncover memories from long ago. It's a form of hypnotism, but it hasn't been used for decades, for obvious reasons." He paused, letting that sink into Sayo for a second, his expression falling grim now. "If I find it and we somehow manage to get it to work... it may not be completely safe. There may be some side effects that'll probably harm you."

Sayo stiffened at that, her mind racing at the possibilities of the harmful side effects. She imagined Amber gained full access and control of her body and Sayo dying from it; she pictured it _not_ working and the procedure killing her. Everything she tried to see, all seemed to involve her dying for some reason. But nevertheless, she _had_ to try. If she didn't, then they'd never know why and how Amber was created or why Amber had done those things for Krad and couldn't remember doing so. So, taking a deep, brave breath, Sayo squared herself and gave Satoshi a great big smile, trying to be as confident as she could for him.

"That's fine. I'll take the risks as they're given to me," she told him with a nod. Then she cupped a hand under her chin pensively, frowning. "But my other question is this: why would there be a diary journal thing regarding the Hikari artwork... in _my_ house? I mean, I know Amber was created by your family, but that journal should still be in _your_ collection, not mine." She hesitated, eyes widening with what she hoped wasn't the truth, her thoughts jumping every which way. "That could only mean one thing, right? That your family and my family..."

She trailed off there, not wanting to go any further in the terrible case that her idea was correct. Satoshi grimly nodded, understanding her train of thought of everything.

"That means that you and I just might be related, Miss Aisaka," he finished for her in a low murmur, pushing his glasses further on his nose. While Sayo stared, bowled over with shock at the slim evidence and facts they'd gathered over the days, all she could hear was Amber in her mind, laughing her ass off as though it was the funniest thing on Earth.

_"Kissin' cousins!"_ the Phantom shrieked, having entirely too much fun with the new situation.

* * *

Later that night, once midnight began to approach, Satoshi finally decided that it was time to go home. Sayo saw him to the door and as he walked down the driveway, she waved to him and waited until he was out of sight before sighing and closing the door. Leaning against the entrance, she brought everything she had learned that evening back to mind, trying to figure out if there was any other way the journal would be in her home without it meaning the relation between her and the blue-haired teen. But no matter how hard she thought about it, nothing else came to mind. Another sigh escaped her lips. She was doomed.

Going upstairs to her bedroom, she felt a soft breeze tickle her arms, causing goosebumps to rise on the skin. Shivering in the cold wind, she followed the draft to her room, where her balcony doors were open. Having thought they had been closed earlier, she went to close them again, locking the hatch quietly. She paused, gazing outside to the dark night where Dark should have been flying in earlier that evening with whatever priceless antique he stole. But nothing about the tall Thief returning for his theft.

Sayo groaned softly and closed her eyes, feeling her body starting to shut down in exhaustion. So much had happened the past few days and she hadn't had time to get enough sleep. Luckily it was the weekend, so she could sleep in the next morning if she pleased; and she _did_ please to.

Just as she was going to turn to change out of he uniform, she caught sight of a certain amethyst haired man, sitting comfortably on the foot of her bed with a smirk on his face that could melt an iceberg. She jumped, but calmed when she realized who it was, placing a hand to her chest to slow her racing heart. Dark chuckled under his breath and stood gracefully, hands on his hips and looking amused.

"Did I startle you, princess?" he asked and Sayo rolled her eyes at the nickname. She honestly didn't mind the Phantom Thief anymore- after all, one of her best friends housed him- but after a long day, having him around her only made her that more tired and aching for sleep.

"You did," she admitted blankly, stepping around Dark to get her bed made for sleeping. "But you _do_ know that there's a front door built in this house, right? You didn't have to use the balcony there to get in. Ring the doorbell; knock on the door, something other than freaking me out like this."

"Ah, technicalities," Dark said, making his way over to her, still with that amused face of his. "I'd much rather see you jump in fright and allow my devilish good looks to calm you down. It's all a matter of perspective."

Sayo could resist a laugh at that, sitting on her bed and shaking her head. Glancing up at him, she sobered and frowned. "Why didn't you go steal that thing earlier? Did something happen? Niwa's okay, right?" she asked, concern creasing her brows. Dark laughed and raised his hands as he sat beside her, smiling assuredly.

"He's fine, don't worry," he told her, flashing her a grin. "He just had some... changing problems and it took a bit to figure out the reason. But he's just fine now. I'm stealing the horse sculpture tomorrow night instead, if that wasn't obvious."

Sayo stared at Dark for a moment, unsure if he was telling the truth. "What sort of changing problem was it?" she asked suspiciously, but Dark merely wagged his finger at her like she was a child who'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"That's not something I'm at liberty to discuss without Daisuke's approval," he explained grandly, which only made Sayo frown more, growing even more suspicious of him. "But don't worry, you'll find out all about it in due time. I only came tonight to see your beautiful face- it _has_ been a while, after all- and to assure you that he'll be coming over to your house tomorrow after school. So long as he's back by eighteen seconds before seven thirty in the evening, of course. He'll have time to get ready to steal then."

And with that, Dark stood, making his way toward the now closed and locked balcony entrance, Sayo following. She'd expected the boy to try taking a kiss from her or getting her riled up, but it seemed he had just visited to assure her of Daisuke's well-being and his Crazy Cake endeavor. It was unexpected to say the least, but that small bit of respect for her made her lighten up a bit toward him.

Waiting while the Phantom released the clutch of the lock on the doors, Sayo leaned against the frame and smiled over at him. "I'll make sure to save you a slice of the cake, then," she told him, "You'd be surprised at how many people end up liking it, even if the ingredients seem a bit awkward."

Dark chuckled and turned to face her, a twinkle of delight in his dark eyes. He half bowed from the waist, head tilted a bit, then straightened, taking one of her hands and pressing the back of it to his lips gently in a chaste kiss. Sayo only smiled more, her expression growing more fond of him as they gazed at each other. Then Dark pulled back and stepped closer to the balcony rail, raising a hand into the air, his eyes still on Sayo's figure.

"I'll be waiting for it," he simply said before snapping his fingers. A sudden blast of cold air surrounded the balcony, a whirlwind of black feathers engulfing Dark into the black sky; Sayo struggled to keep standing until the wind calmed to a breeze, the leaves fluttering all around her, the Thief completely disappeared and nothing left as evidence of his existence in her home. She chuckled to herself and turned back into the room, shutting the doors and locking them so that no other presence could enter.

* * *

_"Thanks for not telling Miss Aisaka the whole problem,"_ Daisuke said quietly to his other half as Dark flew in the night air toward his house. The older teen smiled and rolled his eyes some, amused by the sheepish tone his Tamer used. Noticing the late time on the clock tower he went past, Dark silently urged With to speed up, wanting to get home quickly. "Now, why would I do such a thing as tell Sayo why your picture of Risa didn't work for you?" he asked teasingly, knowing full well what the answer was. The red-head knew it as well, falling silent for a moment and Dark could practically _hear_ the mild accusatory look on his Tamer's face aimed at him. Dark laughed out loud at it and grinning. "Hey, I may do a lot of underhanded things, Dai, but confessing to a girl that she's your Sac-"

_"Don't!"_ Daisuke's yell nearly threw the Phantom off balance but fortunately, he caught it in time. Sighing heavily, all trace of amusement or laughter wiped from the Thief's face. He could tell Daisuke looked miserable and embarrassed, but didn't have the heart to pick on him over it. That was like kicking the dog that was down too much.

"Dai, you're gonna have to tell her soon," Dark advised the kid inside their shared body. He heard the deep sigh from his counterpart, saying without words that he knew what he had to do before it was too late. "I'm not going to tell her. But soon, _you'll_ have to, if you don't want to lose her. As of right now, I think Hiwatari's got the lead on you."

_"Huh? What are you talking about? Hiwatari and Miss Aisaka are just friends. Aren't they?"_ Daisuke asked, sounding puzzled. Dark laughed quietly and shook his head, wondering just how exactly the ruby-eyed boy got this far in life with that much naivety. But no matter, he'd let Daisuke figure that one out himself as well. _"Dark? What do you mean?"_ his Tamer continued to prod him, but Dark remained silent, only thinking back to what he'd caught from his younger friend's mind earlier before the problem had risen.

It had been obvious to the flirtatious Thief that Daisuke had liked Sayo since the day she spent the night in his room after her encounter with Krad. Being Daisuke, however, it had only simmered at the back of his mind until it finally caught up to him and pretty much burst out of his brain like a flower blossoming in the was why Daisuke hadn't been able to change from the picture of Risa. He was thinking too much about Sayo and his growing feelings for the female Tamer. Even subconsciously, he had been thinking about her, so Dark could see the extent of his affections for the girl. It was pretty darn serious, or at least, getting there.

And as much as Dark liked Sayo, it was one thing to have to compete against Hiwatari for her feelings, but with his best friend as well? That wouldn't work for him. He could never take away something dear from his friend and even though that something was also what the Thief cared about, he knew he could let go of her for Daisuke's sake. He had an inkling that she wouldn't see him that way, anyway. Giving up a lady wasn't something Dark was known for, but he'd make an exception just this once.

"And all because it's for you," Dark murmured aloud, catching the attention of his Tamer.

_"What was that, Dark?"_ Daisuke questioned, wondering what his older half was talking to himself about. But Dark merely shook his head and sped on, seeing the roof of the house a little bit in the distance.

"Nothing, Daisuke. It's nothing."

But it _was_ something, something huge that was starting to happen within the city limits and right under the noses of the three Tamers and their other halves. Something that would test only their perseverance, bravery, endurance and hearts.


	17. Chapter 17

**I am _so_ sorry for taking so long to update! I've been going through some things, as always, and couldn't get the inspiration to write anything for this story I apologize if this chapter seems a bit everywhere, but I really _was_ trying to get some plot in. It probably didn'y work well, but I did my best for what little creative juice I had last night. **

**I do not own Dark, Satoshi, Daisuke or Krad. But I do own Sayo and Amber and the mysterious woman in Sayo's dreams :3**

* * *

This was another night of strange dreams, it seemed, as Sayo saw the mysterious woman who looked like her older twin. Once again, they were surrounded by darkness, except for the two lights that encased them. Sayo sighed softly and made her way over to the woman, though once again, felt as though she were on a treadmill and as much as she walked, couldn't reach her. The girl stopped walking and planted her hands on her hips, mildly annoyed by this. The woman kept her body half turned from Sayo so that only one side of her face could be seen, and even then it was slightly shadowed. Sayo scowled a bit, cocking a hip now.

"What's with this set-up?" Sayo asked irritably, gesturing to the area they were in. The woman said nothing. "Are you even listening to me? This is _my_ dream; I should be able to control it and make you speak or something!"

Then the woman chuckled- a soft sound that showed her amusement of Sayo's words- and the girl blinked, confused, dropping her hands to her sides uselessly. The raven-haired woman slowly turned to face Sayo and she was once more looking into the identical face that she would wear in a few years' time. A gentle smile played at the woman's lips and kindness shone in her dark amber eyes.

"Nothing you know is what it seems," the woman spoke softly, her words again ethereal and quiet. Sayo stared at her, her confusion growing as she tried to figure out what she was talking about. "The boy you think you hold dear is nothing like you expected," she added, which only made Sayo even more puzzled.

"The boy I like?" she repeated, then added with surprise, "You mean Hiwatari? What do you mean he's not like I expected? He's not hiding anything from me- he would never!" she argued, getting defensive quickly, hands curling into fists at her side. The woman merely shook her head, and Sayo angrily frowned, scoffing. "Right, you can't tell me that much. I have to figure it all out on my own, right?"

The woman, still smiling and gazing at the younger girl, nodded in agreement and took three steps closer to her before stopping again. "The path to what you seek is very close by. Choose the right decisions and you will find happiness. The other side leads to heartbreak and delusions. Sayo Aisaka, you must learn between the two if you wish to find what you need."

Sayo opened her mouth to speak up again, but the woman shimmered away and the darkness disappeared, leaving her to sit up in bed, gasping for breath. A cold sweat started to form on her forehead and when the female Tamer glanced over to see what time it was, she groaned with annoyance: 11:23 A.M. She could feel Amber stirring in her mind, obviously having been asleep. But she didn't care at the moment; all she wanted to know was what that woman in her dreams meant by what she'd said. However, being half asleep as she was, it was only a jumble of riddles and frustrating confusion.

'Why couldn't she just speak like any other normal person, fer cryin' out loud?' she thought in agitation, groaning softly as she ran her hands and fingers through her hair and face. Amber stirred more, awake now and annoyed at being woken up.

_"What the hell, Sayo?"_ the feisty Phantom complained groggily, scowling in their shared mind. _"I was having a great dream about me and Krad and then you wake me up by raving about some woman again. This is the second time, y'know."_ Rolling her eyes, Sayo sighed heavily and slid out of bed, yawning quite loudly. By the time she was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth, Amber was fully awake, doe-eyed and perky. _"Say, what time is Niwa coming over? You gonna get Dark out again so that he and I can have another one of our delightful chats?"_

Sayo frowned at that thought and spat the foamy paste into the sink, running the water to rinse it and her mouth. Then she shook her head and left the bathroom, heading to the stairs to get breakfast. "As much as Dark doesn't bother me anymore, I do _not_ want him coming out and chatting me up. I'm still trying to get the taste of his mouth off mine," she muttered under her breath, remembering briefly when Amber had changed suddenly back into her while kissing Dark and feeling the sensation of it. A shudder broke through her body and she resisted the urge to gag. "No _thank_ you," she added for good measure.

Amber laughed, though not as loud or taunting as it usually was. _"Sweetie, I figured you'd realize this after a while by yourself, but it seems you won't,"_ the older girl grinned through their bond, making Sayo pause with her cereal and milk. _"You understand the whole concept of that I'm you and you're me, essentially, right?"_ Sayo nodded wordlessly, interested as to where the Phantom was going with this. _"Well, it's the same with Dark and Krad. Dark is Niwa, Niwa is Dark; Krad is Hiwatari, Hiwatari is Krad. Get it?"_ When she felt her Tamer pale at the realization, Amber grinned some more, getting more and more amused by this by the second. _"So, when I kissed Dark and turned back into you, you pretty much kissed Niwa!"_ By now, Amber was rolling around on the figurative floor with laughter, as per her style, as Sayo thought through that and hung her head with shame and defeat.

But then her head popped up, a look of though on her face. "Hey, if that's the case..." she said aloud, nervously nibbling on her thumb nail, "if you ever kiss Krad- though I hope you never do- then I'd have in a way kissed Hiwatari. Right?" Amber laughed again, but nodded. Sayo sighed heavily, blushing heavily at that idea, and returned to her breakfast. "I just hope it never comes down to having to do that," she mumbled, stabbing her cereal with her spoon. "I hope I never see Krad for as long as I live. That guy is really scary..."

_"Awww, but he's my love! That's like if I said I hope we never see Hiwatari!" _Amber complained in a whine, pouting. Sayo, for the millionth time since waking up, rolled her eyes and wished that Amber had tape over her mouth to shut her up.

"Yeah, well, at least Hiwatari doesn't try to kill me for something he wants from _you_," Sayo snapped out of pure irritation. The sudden fierceness of her words made Amber cringe into the back of their mind and Sayo, feeling guilty for scaring the older girl, frowned and closed her eyes, picturing the startled face on Amber, clearly shocked to hear such an angry thing from her normally happy Tamer. "Sorry... Just not in the mood to talk about him, okay?" she apologized softly, to which Amber slowly nodded and came back to her normal spot in the bond.

At that moment, the phone rang and Sayo reached over the countertop to grab the cordless phone, answering, "Hello?"

On the other line, she could sense a smile on the boy's bright face, having been awake for hours already. "Ah, Miss Aisaka? Did I wake you?" he asked cheerfully; Sayo chuckled and shook her head.

"No, I woke up a few minutes ago. What's up, Niwa?" she told him, munching on her food between words.

"Well, I was calling to see about me coming over," Daisuke said, still cheerful. Sayo stopped chewing and blinked, remembering Dark's visit last night about Daisuke. She laid her spoon down and leaned back in her seat, rocking back and forth dangerously.

"Yeah, you can still come by," she told the red-haired Tamer over the phone, smiling as well. "What time do you wanna come? I just need to change, clean up a bit and get the stuff for the Crazy Cake. But other than that, any time's fine with me."

"Ah, alright, let me ask Mom, then," Daisuke said, then Sayo heard a rustling sound, like he was covering the receiver with his hand, then he returned after a moment. "Well, if it's alright with you, I can come around now. That way, we have lots of time to hang out before I have to leave to prepare for my heist tonight."

Sayo nodded, leaning the chair back to all four legs. "Sounds fine. I'll see you in about an hour, then," she agreed, nodding brightly. After hanging up with the boy, Sayo quickly finished her meal and cleaned the dishes, all the while wondering about what Satoshi was up to.

'Is he still searching the way to get Amber's memories uncovered?' she thought, hoping he didn't strain himself in the process. 'I think I'll call him to see how he's doing...' She grabbed the phone and dialed the number he'd given her if she ever wanted or needed to get a hold of him outside of school, and waited almost impatiently while the other line rang and rang. A few minutes passed and the ringing changed to a busy signal. The girl sighed heavily with defeat and hung up, biting her lower lip worriedly.

_"Hey, don't stress over it,"_ Amber advised her Tamer with a relaxed grin on her face. _"Hiwatari's probably too busy to bother with answering his phone. Try again later and leave a message. He'll return it eventually when he can. For now, you'd better get ready for Niwa coming over. I think I saw a pair of panties hanging over the shower pole earlier."_

With her face very red from mortification, Sayo raced to clean the house, leaving minutes to spare before Daisuke showed up twenty-five minutes later. She gave him a quick tour around the place, focusing more on the rooms he'd need like the bathroom and balcony in her room if he wanted air. Then she led him to the kitchen where the ingredients for the cake was out and ready to use.

Daisuke smiled and rolled up his sleeve, prepared for a culinary lesson from the raven-haired girl. "So, what exactly is a Crazy Cake, Miss Aisaka? You haven't actually told me," he asked with a lopsided grin and laugh. Sayo giggled and an amused look came upon her face. She tied an apron around her waist and rolled her own sleeves up, putting her long hair into a ponytail so it didn't get in the way.

"A Crazy Cake, my dear Niwa," she began in a mock professor type voice, walking around the kitchen table and gesturing to all the items on the top, "is simply a cake that does not have the common things you'd expect in a cake. The ingredients differ, depending on what you have in the cupboards. All you do to make it, is grab whatever you have in them and mix them all in the batter, whether it be coconut and peanuts or chocolate and jam. It has many different things in and the ending result is quite delicious so long as you put in the right amount."

She smiled widely at him, to which he faintly blushed to, and picked up a bowl that already had ready-to-use cake mix in it. "So, would you like to add the stuff or stir, Niwa?" she asked; he smiled a bit to her and took the bowl, picking up the whisk.

"I'd rather stir right now. I don't want to get the amounts wrong and make it taste bad," he laughed and Sayo laughed as well. They went on chatting about anything and everything, laughing together and joking with each other about things from school or things they saw on TV. Sayo wound up adding in some orange juice from fresh oranges, white chocolate chunks, almonds and a few jelly beans (something Amber protested loudly against but Sayo promptly ignored her with a sweet smile to herself as she added more, much to the Phantom's chagrin). A half hour later, just as Sayo was adding the last few ingredients to the mixture and making suer Daisuke was stirring enough, she put her hands on her hips and smiled proudly at the bowl's contents, which looked like a massive dark, dark glob of brown and random floating dots of nuts and junk food.

"There!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together to rid them of the non-existent dust and dirt. "Now as just have to put it into a cake mold and put it into the oven for about an hour or so. Then we can ice it, if you want, and try it!" She noticed Daisuke's paling face at the sight of the mix and laughed, clapping him on the back gently, grinning. "Don't worry, it may look disgusting, but it'll taste _so_ good, Niwa," she assured him lightly.

"I certainly hope so," he murmured, still loud enough for her to hear, pouring the lumpy batter into the cake mold for her. "I don't want to be halfway through the heist tonight and wind up getting a stomachache. Dark would _never_ forgive me for that."

"I'm sure he wouldn't punish you for something you couldn't prevent," Sayo laughed, although she could picture the Thief doing just that. "Well, he probably won't if I tell him not to. That should make you feel better," she added, smiling sheepishly. Daisuke smiled faintly back to her and removed the oven mitts from his hands after having slipping it into the oven Sayo had opened for him. He then leaned against the counter as she closed the door and turned on the timer for an hour and ten minutes.

"So, I was wondering," Daisuke said hesitantly after a few minutes of silence, staring at his socked feet now to avoid going red in face from looking at Sayo. "Um, you and H-Hiwatari... Is there... anything between you two or...?" When Sayo blinked at him, looking mildly confused and surprised at his question, Daisuke immediately turned beet red and shook his hands to her, standing straight. "N-not that I'm asking for myself!" he protested loudly, shaking his head feverishly. "I-I was only asking since you and Hiwatari seem to spend an awful a lot of time together a-and he'd never done that with anyone before..!" He trailed off there, ending with a stare at the floor with his face dark red with embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head anxiously. Sayo finally smiled softly and shrugged, leaning her elbows behind her to the counter, also staring down at the floor.

"No," she answered quietly with a small shake of her head, "there's nothing going on between me and Hiwatari, Niwa. We're just friends. He would never be interested in someone as plain and odd as me, anyway. Even with Krad, he should be with a girl more exciting and I'm just not like that." She straightened and turned to smile at Daisuke, but stopped with a start when she noticed Daisuke was a few steps closer to her, his wide crimson eyes set with determination, though soft at the same time. She felt her face light up with surprise and she could only stare at him, speechless at how much older he seemed like that.

"That's not true, Miss Aisaka," the red-headed boy told her quietly, firmly. "You're not plain or odd. You're a unique person, and nothing anyone thinks of you should matter unless they say good things. But otherwise, ignore them. Miss Aisaka, you're an amazing person and I don't think that you should count yourself out. You and Hiwatari-" He stopped there, looking conflicted about something, looking away for a second, before returning his eyes to her. "I think if you like him, you should try your hardest to get closer to him. I know he'd like that." He then smiled gently, though it seemed there was an edge of sadness to it. "Just don't stress out too much over things. Okay? I'd be unhappy if you got sick because you weren't taking care of yourself."

_"Something tells me this kid likes you, Sayo..."_ Amber murmured quietly through their bond, seeing the expression on his face through Sayo's eyes. Her words were enough to snap the girl out of her daze-like trance and she managed a smile to the ruby-haired teen, looking cheerful again.

"I'm sure you're right, Niwa; thanks," she told him lightly; and with that, they went back to chatting happily about things and school, both acting as though that touching moment hadn't really happened. Before long, the timer went off and Sayo excitedly took the cake out, which Daisuke admitted to smelling great. After allowing it to cool for a few minutes, she cut them both a slice and waited for him to try it to see what he thought of it.

However, that's when it went wrong. He took a forkful of the moist cake slice and chewed a few times, getting a taste of the flavor. Then he instantly stopped and his red eyes went wider than Sayo had ever seen them go. Daisuke's whole face went a shade darker and he put the plate down to wave his hand in front of his mouth, hastily swallowing what he had. Startled at his reaction, Sayo went over to him and thumped him on the back, thinking that he'd swallowed the wrong way and was choking a bit. But when he shook his head and sucked in a breath, tears welling in his eyes, she realized that wasn't the problem.

"N-Niwa, w-what's wrong?" she exclaimed, panicking. Daisuke pointed sharply at his now-open mouth, gasping.

"H-hot..!" he choked out, "W-water...! I-I need water..!" When Sayo got him a glass of tap water and he chugged it down, he gasped and coughed some, a faint grin appearing on his face. "A-are your Crazy Cakes normally that spicy, Miss Aisaka...?" he croaked out, laughing dryly. Sayo blinked at him, confused at what he meant, and tried a bit of cake from her own plate, not as much as he had. The same thing happened to her and she spat it out into the sink, grimacing at the taste.

"What the heck?" she said with confusion, looking toward the area they'd used to add in the ingredients to the batter. Scanning over everything, she finally noticed a small puddle of something dark red; she glanced upward to see what it was, since it was directly where the batter bowl was sitting, and turned red with embarrassment when she realized what had caused the spiciness of the cake. With a rather sheepish cough, Sayo picked up the bottle of chili pepper sauce and grinned nervously, nearly sweat dropping. Daisuke stared at it as the female Tamer rubbed the back of her neck.

"Uh... oops?" she giggled apologetically, laying the bottle down onto the countertop properly. "I-I guess that tipped over somehow and some of it got into the mix without either of us noticing it. Explains why it tasted so nasty, huh?"

"Well, I have to admit that nothing is ever ordinary when it's done with you, Miss Aisaka," Daisuke laughed pleasantly, "including baking a cake!" With that, they both laughed loudly over the mistake and the accident.

* * *

Hours later, when the sun started to dip into the horizon and Daisuke realized it was time for him to leave so he could get ready for his heist, Sayo got a phone call. Noticing the ID as Satoshi's private line, her heart leapt briefly with happiness and she quickly answered it, a grin on her face as she awaited the familiar monotone of the pale-haired boy.

"Hiwatari, I'm glad you called," Sayo greeted him brightly but on the other side was silence. The grin faltered and she started thinking something was wrong. "Hiwatari" Is everything okay?" she asked, worried.

"...Yes, it's fine," Satoshi replied distractedly, which didn't soothe her nerves. "Could you come over as soon as you can? I have something to show you."

"Ah, what is it?" she asked, perking at the thought of what he'd found. Perhaps it was the Hikari way to figure out what Amber had forgotten and it was a safe way, so Sayo wouldn't be harmed in any way. Or maybe it was something else- to do with the reason why a Hikari art piece journal was in her home and not his. Either way, it was most likely something of interest.

"Just... please, Miss Aisaka. Preferably before Niwa goes for his heist. I have to join the police tonight," Satoshi told her, still in that calm, low voice he used for everything, no matter how urgent the matter was. At a loss for words, Sayo nodded quickly.

"Sure, I'll be right over, Hiwatari," she answered, then gave a quick farewell before grabbing everything she needed to get the train. Then she left, wondering what the boy genius had found that he needed her to see so suddenly. Amber, as seen from Sayo's mind, had a bored expression on her face, and would've examined her nails if she could.

_"Maybe he wants to show you a way to separate me from you,"_ she suggested with a shrug. _"Don't get me wrong; that'd be great 'cause then I'd have freedom all the time, but then he'd have to figure out a way for Krad to not find out."_

Sayo rolled her eyes. _'You wish Krad would find a way like that, especially if you were free of me,'_ she retorted through their link and she noticed a faint smirk on the older teen's face, a certain glint in her dark amber eyes.

_"I never claimed otherwise, Tamer dear,"_ she drawled out in an almost honey-like way. Sayo sighed heavily, thinking that the town would be doomed if Krad and Amber joined forces and wreaked havoc upon the citizens.

'Heaven forbid that from happening...' she groaned out, climbing onto the train that would get to Satoshi's large, empty house.


	18. Chapter 18

**Okay, so for those of you who don't know, I've decided to enter the National Novel Writing Month in November, so this double dose of Sayo, Dark, Daisuke and Satoshi is to make up for the far and between updates during that month in which I'll be concentrating more on my novel. So please enjoy the story and review! ^^**

**I do not own Dark, Satoshi or any other DN ANgel characters. :/ I do, however, own the plot of this story, Sayo, Amber and the drama that ensues in the chapters :3**

* * *

_"Do you intend to show her every piece of knowledge you've acquired about this, Master Satoshi? Perhaps, if you wish for me to do so, I can help lessen the shock by telling her myself."_

_'Don't be ridiculous,'_ the pale-haired teen snapped irritably, waiting rather impatiently for his classmate to arrive at his house. _'I would never let you out, Krad. Not so willingly or freely. And you can't trick me into allowing it, either.'_ He glanced over the research he'd done concerning the true origin of Amber Aisaka and why a journal about her would be in Sayo's family possessions. The results he'd found were quite shocking to him, to say the least, and even now, looking over it for the hundredth time that evening since discovering it, it still managed to make his head spin.

The scientist who had thought about creating Amber had been an original member of the Aisaka clan, a practically unheard of family that had an interesting connection to the Hikaris. The woman, who made Amber, Mitsuki Aisaka, had been a childhood friend of one of Satoshi's biological ancestors and eventually fell in love with him, though it had been a severely unrequited one. Nonetheless, Mitsuki had done anything and everything in her power to please the man, no matter how heinous it was, and as time went on, having to witness him and his later wife fall in love and continue trying to make something as equaling in power as the Black Wings, decided to experiment. She had spent many, many weeks and hours of her time in her basement, attempting to create something so grand like the Black wings in order to gain the affections of the man she loved.

After many fails and unsuccessful tests, Mitsuki began to go crazy, still trying hard. Eventually, when the Black Wings were starting to go haywire and unstable, she found a way to calm the Hikari creation and make another one to rival it. Unfortunately it needed her to sacrifice herself for it, which she had been more than happy to since the man she wanted had told her to do it. and so, Mitsuki threw her life into the creation and her longing to please the one she loved remained in it, turning it into a female Phantom they called Amber, whose feelings aimed to Krad. And the unstable power she had taken from the Black Wings in order for it to stay as calm as it had gave her the ability to snap at any moment, going just as crazy as Mitsuki had when she realized she'd never get her feelings returned.

Or that was the story that Satoshi had found among the many dozens of journals of his ancestors around the Black Wings. How much of this was true, he didn't know, but he knew enough about his ancestors to know that a fair amount had to deem trustworthy. It explained Amber's strange affinity to want Krad so much, and why she seemed to have that gleaming, almost crazed light in her eyes when she and Krad were out together.

'But it doesn't explain why Amber would have no memory of anything she had done for Krad,' Satoshi thought with irritation, flipping through the texts he had looked through many time already, finding nothing new. 'It doesn't say anything about how they managed that.' He paused and thought for a moment, staring long and hard at the binded paper. 'Perhaps it was something that happened naturally over time,' he mused, straightening. He didn't get anything from Krad, so conversing with him over this had no use. 'Perhaps because Amber hadn't been around Krad in so long, she had let herself forget about what she'd done or what she'd do for him... and by the time Miss Aisaka was born, Amber had assumed the role of what she is now.'

He thought about that, mind racing with other theories and ideas, but could think of nothing else that could fit enough. Just then, the doorbell rang, rather rushed, and Satoshi snapped out of his thoughts, realizing it was Sayo. Hoping that this new revelation wouldn't scare her, Satoshi exited the study room with the few books that contained the most information of the background, placing them on the table in the living room, and answered the door.

Sayo stood in the doorway, looking a bit cold and frantic. The wide-eyed look on her face made him wonder how people saw her on the train. He stepped out of the way so she could walk in, and took her jacket. He had barely gotten it on a hook on the wall when she gave him a firm stare.

"What did you find out? Anything? Anything at _all_?" she prodded from him, stepping closer to him with each fierce question, determination and hope in her dark caramel eyes. Satoshi simply held a hand up and gestured to follow him down the hallway.

"I'm sorry to have called you so unexpectedly and late, but as I said, I do have to leave for Dark's heist soon, so I'd like to get this done quickly," he explained, sounding as calm and cool as always, if not more tonight. Sayo wordlessly nodded from behind him, glancing around the dim hall at the walls that were barren of any portraits or anything that showed his childhood as she expected. But, knowing how secluded and private he was, she also expected nothing of the sort.

_"Kinda makes me think of those scary horror movies where the girl is led into the silent killer's home alone at night and there's nothing to show how sadistic or evil he really is,"_ Amber commented, her tone spooky and feigning evil. Sayo flushed and frowned scoldingly at her other half.

_'Amber! How mean! Hiwatari's nothing like that!'_ she defended heatedly, earning a laugh from the older woman. Then, just to be just as mean, she added casually, _'Besides, I'm pretty sure that evil and sadistic nature is reserved already for Krad.'_

This time, Amber flared up, ready to argue about that, when Satoshi stopped and gestured inside the living room, which was lit by a chandelier far up on the ceiling and a lamp on the table where the books were. She walked in, with Satoshi behind her this time, and quietly sat down on one of the two couches that were situated near the low-rising table, peering at the old, tattered-looking journals and books, afraid by their old appearances to dare pick one up.

"Are these...?" she asked softly, glancing up at Satoshi, who sat across from her and began to open some of the books; he nodded at her question and opened one to a page with yellowed ink writing and a slightly smudged sketch of Amber as though she were a child. Sayo stared at it with awe, surprised to see the female Phantom in such a way, and felt Amber fall silent, anything she was planning to say dying on her lips. Gently, carefully, Sayo took the book for a closer examination of the sketch, disbelieving that it was Amber. But upon a close look and further staring, she recognized the girl as Amber, somehow able to see the fire-red hue in the ink-black hair, only a few years younger than the 17-year old she knew the teen as. Raising her eyes to look at the boy across from her, Sayo nervously swallowed, a feeling of dread going through her as she opened her mouth to ask what she wanted to know since getting that call from him.

"What did you find about Amber, Hiwatari?" she said very slowly and quietly, like the truth of her other half would break her otherwise or that she didn't truly want to know. For a moment, it looked as though Satoshi was nervous to tell her, but it quickly subsided when he looked her straight in the eye and blinked once before beginning his findings. Sayo remained frozen in her seat, unable to move as each word came from his lips.

"One of your ancestors was in love with one of mine," he started, not once flickering his ice-blue eyes from Sayo. "She was one of the few who was helping the Hikaris find a way to perfect or stabilize the Black Wings- the art form Dark and Krad come from. But she couldn't find anything that would work or help and as she tried and tried, her feelings for my ancestor caused her to grow slowly crazy from both unrequited love and being in her home for so long."

He paused there, watching Sayo to see how she was coping with the news. Other than the paleness of her skin and her shaky breath, she seemed to be taking it rather well compared to how he thought she would have. In the back of his mind, he felt Krad stir, eager to get her riled up and, he could tell from through the bond, hopefully make Sayo go crazy from the shock. Satoshi relayed his refusal of that idea but Krad continued stirring, something malicious coming from him. Satoshi inwardly sighed, strengthening his mental barrier against the blond devil more just in case, and went on.

"She finally found a way but realized she had to die in order for it to succeed. My ancestor, being twisted as they were, told her to do it, and since she still wanted him to see how she felt, did so." Another pause to let it all to sink in before he finished his explanation. "So, if my ancestors' journals are correct, then it means that Amber is the spirit of the woman who still wants to have the one she loves acknowledge her feelings. And it seems that her feelings have fixated on Krad now, which explains why she's always eager to see him when I'm nearby or why she wants him to know how she feels."

Sayo raised a hand to her mouth, covering it to muffle the soft but sharp gasp, eyes shaking from the information. "B-but that's..." she whispered hoarsely and Satoshi nodded, knowing what she was trying to say. She shook her head forcefully and stood all of a sudden, her eyes set with fierceness. "That's sick and twisted! What kind of family are the Hikaris to make some poor love-sick woman do that?" she all but shouted, slamming her hands to the table, narrowly avoiding the aged books around her. Satoshi didn't show any sign of surprise or shock at her outburst; he only watched her calmly, allowing her to let it all out.

"I mean, how can _anyone_ do that to someone like that? To do that to them, that person would have to be seriously messed up in the head! And then to just let them sacrifice their life-! It's just...!" Sayo grunted, trying to refrain from taking her anger out on the police chief in front of her. "Can I use your bathroom for a few minutes, Hiwatari?" she asked, sounding very calm compared to seconds ago. Satoshi nodded and stood, escorting her to the doorway of the living room and gesturing down the other side of the hallway.

"Down there and it's the first opened door you come across," he told her in his usual monotone; she nodded and went down the hall toward the bathroom to wash her face and calm down. He, however, returned into the living room and began to pile the journals into a neat stack to bring back into his library later, ignoring the usual throbbing in his mind of Krad trying to break loose and wreak whatever havoc he wanted. Sighing to himself after tidying the table and making sure the books were still intact, Satoshi briefly glanced out the window, gazing into the horizon that was darkening with fires of orange, yellow and red of the sunset. Despite how peaceful it looked outside or seemed in his home, he had an itch in the back of his head that something was wrong.

~.~.~.

_"I can't believe this!"_ Amber shouted in shock for the fifth time in ten minutes as Sayo wandered down the long hallway, trying to find any opened door. _"I mean, I can see the whole me trying to impress someone I like, but me being the spirit of that woman? No way! I'm my own person, dammit!"_ She paused, rethinking that certain word. _"Er, Phantom... spirit... thing..."_ she amended with confusion. Sayo felt Amber shake her head violently and pout. _"Either way, there's no freaking way that I'm the ghost of that woman! I love Krad for different reasons than she did for that Hikari guy! We're nothing alike!"_

Sayo, already grown tired of hearing this, groaned under her breath and peered at each door to see if they were opened. _'I'm sure you're right,'_ she said just to stop the girl from going on about it. After passing yet another closed door, Sayo finally noticed a faint light coming from a room whose door was slightly ajar. Smiling in relief, she headed toward it, assuming it was the bathroom at last. But when she entered the room, she noticed a messed up bed, a cluttered table and a few pieces of furniture, all glowing with the dim light of a bulb overhead. The room itself was massive, but the little furnishings it had made the room seem even more larger, making Sayo wonder whose room it was.

'It can't be Hiwatari's,' she thought, curiosity getting the better of her as she slowly stepped inside. Inside their bond, Amber scoffed and rolled her eyes, evidently forgetting all about the woman's spirit.

_"Right, considering the few nick-nacks we've seen already, this empty room _certainly_ can't be Hiwatari's,"_ the Phantom drawled out sarcastically, earning a mild scowl from her Tamer.

_'You really should keep quiet about him,'_ she reprimanded the young woman within her mind, _'especially if you have absolutely nothing nice to say.'_

_"Wow, who forgot to take their hormone pills today? And you say _I'm_ obsessed with a guy."_ Amber grumbled halfheartedly before sliding into the back of the bond, staying quiet now. Sayo sighed softly and felt some of her irritation lift when Amber did, and she stopped in front of the table where she saw many pages of loose leaf everywhere, disorganized and unlike she knew for Satoshi. Out of habit, she took some sheets and began straightening them neatly, placing them to the side to straighten more. Then, in the corner of her eye, she noticed a flash of scrawl that looked like Satoshi's neat but rushed penmanship, and her name written on some paper. Wondering if her mind had just been playing a trick on her mind, Sayo took the piece of paper and looked at it, scanning through the notes written on it, her eyes widening more and more as she realized what it was.

When she heard a noise from behind her, at the doorway, she didn't know if she should be hurt and betrayed or just plain pissed as she turned to face the glasses-clad boy, his expression blank as always. She tried glaring at him but her vision began to get watery, so she just held up the paper in her hands for him to see. His expression still didn't change, but she thought she saw a glimpse of guilty shock pass by in his eyes, but she wasn't sure.

"What is this?" she asked him sharply, her voice showing hurt. Satoshi stepped further into the room, calm still as he pushed his glasses up his nose, the light catching in his frames and blocking whatever he was revealing in his eyes from her.

"What are you doing in my room?" he asked as if Sayo hadn't questioned him. She refused to answer and instead shook the paper at him accusingly, her eyes filling more with tears.

"_What is this_?" she repeated, this time sharper and angrier. "Why are you taking notes on both me and Amber, Hiwatari? Were you doing this all the time we were together? Have you been spying on me when I didn't know it? Is this the reason you wanted to be with only me all those times before?" Satoshi made his way further into his room, taking the paper from Sayo's hand coolly and placed it onto the stack of papers she had been straightening moments before. Sayo stomped her foot when he didn't reply. "Hiwatari, tell me!" she shouted, her voice cracking now from the hurt and tears trailing down her cheeks.

Satoshi remained where he was, back facing her, and for a moment, she thought he was going to continue not answering her. Then he finally pushed his glasses up again and his head lowered; she wasn't sure if it was a sign of his guilt of what he had done or not. After a moment of more silence, he spoke, cool, calm and collected as she knew him as, which only made her feel worse about everything.

"I took notes on both you and Amber in hopes, at that point, to better find out who and what she was and her connections to Krad, if she'd had any at all," he told her. "She didn't come out as much as I'd hoped, but from the way you reacted to her while talking with her through your shared bond, I got some facts, but it didn't have anything to do with-"

Sayo cut him off there, letting loose a very short scream of anger. She glared heatedly at the boy genius, face red with emotion and hands clenched tightly at her sides as teas dripped from her cheeks. "How dare you?" she snapped loudly to him, "All this time, I thought we were becoming friends and getting closer to each other, but it was just a way for you to get information on Amber? How could you do something so cruel and act so nice to me?"

Satoshi turned to face her, only to watch her stepping backward toward the entrance of his room. For a brief moment, he wanted nothing more than to reach out and keep her there while he explained himself, but when he thought that, he could feel Krad taking advantage of it and trying to break loose. Because of that, he made himself go stone-straight and appear emotionless, uncaring to her pain.

"I didn't mean for you to see this," he murmured, turning away from her to avoid her crumpled expression. Sayo gasped sharply at that, taking it the wrong way. But each time Satoshi tried or wanted to explain his true feelings, Krad would attempt taking over by his weakness. So he forced himself to seem as cold-hearted as she thought he was now.

"I can't believe you," Sayo said softly, starting to hiccup from crying so much. He heard her bump against the doorframe and saw in the corner of his eye, her beginning to back out of the room. "I... I-I hate you...!" She paused there. "I _hate you, Hiwatari!_ I can't believe I ever liked you!"

And then she spun around and ran out of his empty house, not caring if she missed the train and had to walk home. She just wanted to get as far away from Satoshi as she could.


	19. Chapter 19

Daisuke lifted his head, in the middle of running toward the building he had to steal some ring from. Even where he was standing, he could see and hear the police getting into action for Dark's appearance. But now, distracted by the sudden feeling of something odd, the red-haired boy was more interested in finding out what the source of his gnawing worry was coming from than trying to sneak into the lit-up building so Dark could steal the ring. For a short moment, he slowed to a brisk walk, scanning around him to see if anyone was headed toward him or if there was an animal that was making him feel this.

_"Daisuke, focus!"_ the Thief inside his mind warned heatedly, snapping the Tamer from his thoughts. He continued running and Dark let out a frustrated sigh. _"This is the second time this evening that you've done that. What's wrong with you tonight? I've never seen you so spaced out before."_

Daisuke felt his ears redden with embarrassment as he ducked behind some bushes, catching sight of Inspector Seahara barking orders into a black walkie-talkie a few feet away. _'Sorry,'_ he apologized wearily to his other half, distracted by trying not to be found now. He quietly crept toward the back entrance of the mansion-sized building, looking around quickly for any way inside. After noticing that the door was too rusted to open or pick apart, Daisuke sighed softly, stepping far enough from the wall so he could spider-jump up to the roof. Before he could do so, though, Dark spoke up from their mind, sounding soft and thoughtful.

_"It's about Sayo, isn't it? Why you're so scattered,"_ he questioned, making the teen fumble his feet together, nearly crashing into a pile of discarded, mossy firewood close by. His face went beet red and he frantically waved his hands in front of him, as if Dark was standing right there and could see it.

_'O-of course not! I-I only paused back there because I-I thought I felt something!'_ He scratched the base of his neck, sighing silently. _'But there was nothing there. Miss Aisaka is fine; she's not weak or anything, Dark. She can take care of herself.'_

Even though his host said that, Dark could tell that he was worried anyway. He was worried that, because of how Hiwatari was concerning Krad, Sayo would end up afraid or hurt. Dark could feel his Tamer's attempt in trying to forget about his worry for the night and concentrate on the heist, but found it difficult to not think about the girl he cared about. The Thief knew how that felt but pushed the idea of the heist into Daisuke's mind, needing to do it right before being able to worry about anything or anyone else.

Staightening and taking a deep breath to center himself, Daisuke quickly managed to get onto the roof, swinging from a branch that was hanging close to the flat surface, and landing silently as he had been taught as a child. He glanced around and after seeing that no one had noticed him, he exhaled softly and knew it was time to let Dark out. But his feelings for Sayo were still mixed up, so he was unsure of what to do. Risa's picture didn't work anymore and he was still too embarrassed over his realization to purposely think of the female Tamer in that way. Dark could clearly see his indecision and sighed heavily, forcing thoughts of Sayo into his Tamer's mind so he'd change. Better doing that than forcing himself in control, after all.

Blushing up to his roots at what Dark was doing, the boy found himself being pushed into the back of his mind and Dark gaining control of the body they shared. Now he was watching through his amethyst eyes and keeping quiet so he could do his job smoothly. He had a test the next day at school so he wanted to get the theft over with; just the thought of bed made Daisuke sleepy a bit.

Now free to do what he was great at, Dark quickly found a way inside the abandoned building and slipped down the darkened hallways, keeping a close ear on any noises in case the police had realized he was already in and roaming around. But upon hearing nothing, the Thief continued on his way, the small velvet bag he was going to place the precious ring inside clutched tightly in his black-gloved hand. He slowed down around a corner, back pressed against the wall, and listened carefully for any indication that someone was around the corner, waiting for him.

Nothing.

Exhaling softly to himself, Dark caustiously went around the turn, meeting nothing but darkness. Behind him and outside the large glass window, he could hear the shrill whistling of the Inspector and the clomping of running steps. The police had obviously noticed that his arrival time had passed and realized he was already inside. Smirking wryly, Dark chuckled under his breath and dashed down the hallway, gaining speed as each siren call and barking order from the brown-haired man came to his ears.

_"I think they're getting predictable,"_ Dark laughed to Daisuke, despite knowing that the boy wasn't going to find it funny. As he thought, the ruby-eyed boy frowned slightly and the taller boy pictured the Tamer crossing his arms in a pout. Without another word, Dark slid to a stop in front of a partially-closed door room which he could see the bright gleaming of the ring he needed coming from. Pushing the door open fully, Dark quickly scanned around the otherwise empty space, seeing only the glass display case that the ring was carefully in. A frown went to his lips, suspicious that he hadn't run into anyone, not even Hiwatari. Sure the police force were mainly idiots who probably couldn't even catch a cold (or maybe they did, trying to catch Dark in the process), but that Police Chief was always one step ahead of the Thief, even if he was then pushed back two steps from there.

"Something's not right here," Dark murmured aloud, being sure not to alert anyone who was nearby. He stepped slowly across the threshold and glanced around carefully to make sure no one was hiding behind anything. But there was nothing, not even a mouse nibbling on crumbs of anything. Suspicions growing to the ceiling, Dark stiffened but made his way cautiously to the display case, seeing nothing protecting it but the glass. Of course, being in an old building like this, one that was on the verge of becoming run down, he wasn't really expecting any technological security like in the museums he'd stolen from before. It didn't stop him from being on guard, though.

The older teen reached out to lift the glass from the stand it was on and put it to the floor, taking the ring ith a triumphant smirk as he lifted it toward the window he was in front of. He gazed up at the small-sized gold band through the moodlight, watching the small drops of pearls glint and the few jewels in the center of it sparkle as though it was just made and not hundreds of years old and capable of tainting a person of their own evil.

He saw it just as he slipped the jewelery into its bag- the sudden second reflection in the windowpane, appearing behind him. Keeping his calm, Dark put a hand on his hip and smirked more, amused that the Chief had allowed him to come this far before ganging up on the entity.

"So, you're finally here," Dark said lightly, teasingly, watching the teen's face harden more and his glasses block whatever his icy eyes were reflecting.

"You won't get away this time, Dark," Satoshi warned in a low tone, not sounding like his calm self. The teen stepped closer to Dark, who had noticed the change in his enemy's intonations. The spirit turned around to properly face the glasses-wearing boy and watched him as he continued walking toward him. Not sure what he was planning this time, Dark quickly called upon his familiar for an emergency exit when he called for it and allowed Satoshi to get closer, not once letting the look of cockiness leave his face.

"Oh, is that so?" Dark questioned, gripping the bag tightly in his hand, eyes scanning the room for a way out. "I don't see how this scenario is any different from the others, Mr. Police Chief." Just to further annoy the boy, Dark suddenly leapt over the now empty display stand, using the glass case as a stepstool, and started to head toward the door, laughing. "So long! And thanks again for letting me go! One of these days, I've gotta repay you for all these escapes, Hiwatari!"

But before Dark could reach the door and leave, he was tackled around the waist and fell to the floor roughly, grunting in surprise and mild pain as he tried landing on his hands and knees, twisting his wrist in a strange way. But it didn't work the way he'd hoped and ended up on his stomach, Satoshi straddling him from behind and pressing his neck to the carpet. Dark grunted, surprised to find the boy able to do this so quickly and easily.

Satoshi leaned closer to Dark's turned face, his blue eyes coldly narrowing in angry triumphant. "I finally have you where I want you, Dark," he hissed, pressing the Thief's neck more into the floor, making his grunt more and wriggle around. Somehow, though, Dark found the strength to smirk suggestively to the Chief, purple eyes glittering in feigned dark amusement.

"Funny, I never thought you were the dominant type, Hiwatari," he commented, laughing harshly. Satoshi scoffed humorlessly and dug his knee into Dark back.

"Don't get coy with me, Phantom Dark," the teen growled coldly, reaching his free hand into the Thief's pocket to pull out the bag the ring was in. "And I'll take that, if you don't mind," he added, a smirk on his lips, but Dark noticed that it had an edge of bitterness to it, not like a smirk of self-triumph would have from having just pinned the infamous and notorious Phantom Thief to his knees. From that one sign, the man immediately had an idea of the source and went with it.

"Oh, do I sense some anger from you, Chief?" he asked, taunting him as his mind went racing with what was causing the grief. He faked a gasp of disbelief. "Could it have something to do with a certain girl that has Amber?" he said, acting shocked at the idea. Dark smirked some then, seeing how the mention of Sayo was affecting Satoshi. "Aww, did she reject you, Hiwatari? Why wouldn't she? It's not like you could offer her anything in the first place, what with a sadistic being inside you that could hurt her at any moment. She's an innocent girl; there's no reason to subject her to something like that-"

"_Shut up!_" Satoshi shouted, loosening his grip on Dark just the tiniest bit, but it was that little bit that he could use. He quickly elbowed the boy in the side, the leverage of him falling to the side in surprise and pain allowing Dark to turn around and push the Chief off him, standing and rushing to the window. From behind him, Satoshi growled and swore under his breath, the sound of carpet being spun that told Dark that he was trying to run fast enough to catch the Phantom, but as usual, he was a moment too late.

Dark called for his demon-familiar after opening the window and gave the Chief a cocky smirk before jumping out of the window and flying off into the night. He could still hear the genius calling out his name but ignored it, spreading his wings more and soaring above the rooftops of the houses as he headed back toward Daisuke's home. Suddenly, his Tamer's voice boomed in his mind, nearly causing him to bring his wings in and fall, but fortunately he caught his balance in time.

_'Dark, how could you do that?'_ Daisuke scolded the Phantom, his words edged with anger and disappointment.

"What? I had to get him off _some_how, didn't I?" he asked irritably, not seeing the reason of the red-haired boy's shouting. "Would you rather me actually getting arrested and your secret getting out?"

Daisuke bit his bottom lip anxiously, cheeks tinged red. _'Of course not...'_ he said pathetically, then remembered the reason he was mad in the first place. _'But you didn't have to use his friendship with Miss Aisaka like you did! It was so cruel of you, Dark! Don't do that again!'_

Sighing heavily, nearly at the boy's house, Dark closed his eyes for a brief moment and thought over it. "Okay, fine," he agreed after a reluctant minute of debate. "I won't do it again, but there really wasn't anything else I could do to get his grip loose. Sometimes you have to say terrible things, Daisuke. That's the way life is."

And without another word to his Tamer, Dark landed on the balcony leading into Daisuke's room and changed back into the younger boy. Exhaling in relief to be home, Daisuke walked inside his room and slipped his hand into his outfit's pocket, taking out the bag. Stopping with surprise, he remembered how Satoshi had already taken it from Dark earlier.

_"I figured something like that was going to happen, so I got a replica of the ring made. So Hiwatari thinks he's got the real thing when _we_ do!"_ Dark explained cheerfully from their bond, grinning proudly. Sighing again, Daisuke merely went toward the stairs leading down to the living room, wincing when he raised his left hand to remove his gloves.

"Ow..." he mumbled, frowning. It seemed Dark had twisted his wrist while being pinned by Hiwatari.'Great. I'm going to have to deal with it, like always,' he thought with an inward groan, heading downstairs to meet his family.


	20. Chapter 20

She _really_ didn't want to go to school; like, she'd rather face a tsunami and risk Hiroshima all over again, really. Because she knew that when she got to her homeroom, _he'd_ be there, looking as calm and cool as he always did, while she had to go through a sleepless night trying to forget about what had happened at his house the other evening. She couldn't go through that; not when she was feeling crappy and broken and hurt all over. But school was a must for her, and so, she forced herself into her uniform, wistfully anxious to be able to wear her summer uniform soon, and out the door to catch the train to school.

Unlike herself, Amber had remained silent the whole time and Sayo couldn't tell if she was just sleeping (though Sayo had to wonder, if it was true, how the woman could sleep with such turmoil) or just thinking about things. It was hard to figure out since the mental barrier Amber was able to create was up and it was almost impossible for Sayo to get through it. It frustrated the younger teen a bit and thought that this was how Amber must feel every time she did the same thing to avoid the female entity from reading her thoughts.

But once Sayo stepped off the platform along with the other students on their way to school, Amber finally spoke up, sounding tired, thoughtful and just a bit sure of herself.

_"I think... I understand everything now,"_ Amber said slowly, as though she was trying piecing things together. _"I mean, why Hiwatari had kept what he did from you and how I might be the spirit of that woman he talked about."_

Normally, Sayo would just think that her other half was just making things up- as she tended to do on occasion when she didn't have the answers herself- but from the serious and soft way she spoke, the Tamer slowly realized that Amber might actually know the reasons, following behind a group of gossiping girls who were crooning over Dark's theft last night and how handsome he looked when he flew off into the night.

_'Well, what do you think, then?'_ Sayo asked through their link, though she really didn't want to think about Satoshi at the moment. Remembering his placid, ice eyes that always seemed to glimmer with some sort of unheard emotion whenever he looked her way and the half smirk that was his smile still hurt to her, but pushed past her emotions to hopefully get to the bottom to everything.

_"Ah, that's the thing,"_ Amber replied, her tone turning frustrated and Sayo could picture the confident woman wriggling around in her mind, bothered. _"I really can't explain it in a way you'd understand; I don't even know if I'm right or not, remember. I only have a hunch and it could be way off, for all I know."_ She sighed heavily and the sound made Sayo frown with worry for her other side. _"Just... I don't think you should fully blame Hiwatari for what happened last night. What if, by some chance that he's not as awesome as I thought, Krad had some doing to that 'secret note taking' thing? From what we've both seen from that one night, Hiwatari doesn't seem to have any choice when Krad wants to come out. What if Krad was _making_ Hiwatari take notes on us?"_

For seven thirty in the morning, Amber certainly seemed to be taking everything seriously. But Sayo saw the logic in her words and thought about them herself. _'That may be, but he's Krad's Tamer,'_ she pointed out, trying to find a way to disprove the Phantom's ideas. _'He must have _some_ choice about letting Krad out. Besides, Hiwatari's a genius; what makes you say he didn't want information for himself on a subject he obviously didn't know much about? If I was in his shoes, I'd probably feel that way. Or not. I don't know.'_ All the thinking on a few hours' sleep hurt her brain...

Once again, Amber sighed deeply and shrugged. _"I don't know, either,"_ she admitted grudgingly. _"Like said, I was only taking a gander at the situation." _And with that, the older female fell silent, burying herself into the back of Sayo's mind, which the girl was thankful for. She didn't know if she could handle another minute of hard-core Phantom Thief thought. By the time their conversation finished, she was in her homeroom and the first thing she saw was Satoshi, sitting at his desk as usual, looking very distant and calm.

Making it a point to ignore him despite the painful throbbing in her chest from seeing him so soon, Sayo went to her own desk beside him and sat down, getting out some homework she needed finished for second period. But as each minute ticked by torturously slow, she could feel someone looking at her as though they didn't care if she realized it or not. Finally, fed up with the wishy-washy way he was acting, Sayo snapped her head toward Satoshi, who was the culprit of the staring as she thought, glaring at him.

"Why are you looking at me?" she snapped heatedly, not caring if people were looking at her- okay, so she did. Satoshi laid his book down and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, clearly ready to speak.

"I was hoping to talk to you more about yesterday evening," he began but Sayo didn't let him continue as she turned her head from him, scowling in anger.

"What's to talk about? The last month and a half, you acted like a friend to me when all that time, you were actually taking notes on me and Amber without telling me or asking us. If you ask _me_, there's nothing to talk about."

And with that, Sayo refused to speak to the Police Chief, keeping her head turned and making sure to turn it further when he tried to talk. It worked for the first two periods she had with him and by the time lunch came around, she still felt hurt and angry at him, choosing to wander the school halls instead of sitting and eating with him and Daisuke. And that was when it happened.

A wave of dizziness came over her suddenly and she staggered in the hall, leaning against the wall beside her so she didn't crash to the floor, and she felt herself being sucked into her mind, as though Amber was switching their positions, but knew it wasn't the female Phantom; it was something entirely different. She knew this since, when she tried opening her eyes, she found herself in the common dark, empty space she usually saw when she went to sleep. And just as she predicted, the woman, whose name she _still_ didn't know, was standing feet from her, the warm, sweet smile on her face.

Sayo sighed heavily, getting tired of all the messed up things going on to her mind in the last month, and rubbed her forehead wearily. "Alright, what now?" she asked, sounding tired. "What kind of dumb riddle are you going to tell me that I'm just going to add to the list of past riddles I haven't figured out yet? If you didn't know, I'm in the middle of school right now. Can you come back when I go to sleep tonight?"

The woman shook her head slowly. "Krad, and his Tamer, Satoshi Hiwatari," she said gently, "Do not avoid them forever. And despite your feelings for the boy, perhaps it is time to re-think your surroundings."

Sayo raised an eyebrow. Her surroundings? As in, where she lived or went to school? Was this woman suggesting Sayo move _again_? "Sorry, what are you talking about this time?" she asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "What do you _mean_, surroundings? Do you mean people around me or my literal surroundings; where I live and go to school?"

The woman ignored answering those questions, which only made Sayo more irritated. "Sayo Aisaka, everything you need is right in front of you. The rest is up to you to decide."

And with those ethereal parting words, Sayo felt the empty space give away and her shoulder being gently shook, hearing a faint voice saying her name with worry.

"...aka..? Miss Aisaka, are you alright?"

Eyes fluttering open, she found herself staring right at Daisuke's concerned red eyes, now turning relieved that she had her eyes open. He smiled gratefully and leaned away from her face, hand over his heart as though to calm the racing under his shirt. Confused, Sayo tried to return to the present, her head still spinning from what had just happened. She had never encountered that woman when she was awake before; the question still remained, though- just who _was_ she and what was she doing?

"I was worried for a minute there," Daisuke told her, bending down to pick up the things Sayo had apparently dropped when she got sucked into her mind. She silently took them from his arms and nodded her thanks. "I was wondering where you were in the cafeteria, so I decided to look around for you. Then I saw you just here in the hallway, leaning against the wall and thought you were hurt." He laughed good-naturedly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm glad you're alright, Miss Aisaka." He paused and his expression fell into one of concern again. "You _are_ okay, right? Hiwatari didn't seem very happy today when I saw him. Did something happen to you two?"

Once again, at the mention of Satoshi, Sayo huffed and turned her head away. "Hiwatari _better_ not be happy today!" she said heatedly, "After what he did, I expect him to be miserable for the next _year_!"

She began walking, quite fast so Daisuke had to jog a bit to stay her side, and let her mind run for a few brief moments about what the woman in her thoughts had said. Everything she needed, huh? What the heck was _that_ supposed to mean, anyway? There wasn't really anything in front of her. Knowing the woman, it was either figuratively or literally she meant those words. But in either case, Sayo didn't know what was there. She had thought that what was in front of her was Satoshi, but since recent events, realized that _that_ was far from true. What else...? Daisuke had been in front of her when she opened her eyes. Could _that_ be what the woman meant?

Glancing over to the ruby-haired boy beside her, Sayo thought for a moment about that idea. He seemed to be around her a lot, as Satoshi had been, but she knew that she would've noticed any sign of him liking her if that was the case. With a shake of her head to clear the thoughts in it and to return to talking with Daisuke, Sayo decided to not let it get to her until after school.


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay, so I'm starting to get to the middle of everything now xD Sorry if it seems rushed, but I'm doing my best through school work and the like! So, please be patient with me! ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything about D.N. Angel. Except maybe Sayo and Amber and this plot. But that's about it. I wished I owned Satoshi and Dark, though. That'd be wicked cool.**

* * *

"Say, did you and Hiwatari get into a fight? He's not acting like himself today." This was asked by none other than Risa Harada, and while other people would have seemed concerned by their classmate's odd behavior, the young sister merely looked eager for a tasty bit of gossip. Sayo sighed to herself and closed the classroom door behind her, following Daisuke in. The red-haired Tamer glanced between the two girls quietly, wondering what Risa was talking about.

"How did you figure that out?" Sayo asked wearily, automatically turning her eyes toward the pale-haired Commander who was sitting at his desk with a book like always. Except this time, when he raised his eyes to meet hers, there was an anxious look to him and Sayo quickly averted his gaze, feeling a dark flush of anger and something else creep to her face.

Risa looked toward Satoshi as well then back at the raven-haired girl, thoughtful. "Well," she started, taking Sayo's sarcastic question quite seriously. "Ever since you came to school, Hiwatari's been less cold and distant with people- mostly _you_. He was actually beginning to look friendly and nice. But today, he came in with that same expression he had before you came. And then you came in and _you_ seem to want nothing to do with him. So, I figured you guys had a fight or something."

As the long-haired twin spoke, Sayo couldn't help but look back at Satoshi, feeling a bit guilty for giving him the cold shoulder. The way Risa made it out, she was pretty much the only person he had let himself get attached to. Then she refused to talk or associate with him. Instead of taking the time to get his side of the situation, she just assumed he'd done everything to hurt her.

_"But he still could have told you,"_ Amber pointed out through their link. Sayo nearly jumped in fright. She hadn't heard from the female curse in a while, so to suddenly have her speak up nearly gave her a heart attack. However, she still considered Amber's idea.

_'Maybe,'_ the Tamer agreed reluctantly, then shook her head. _'Either way, it might be best if Hiwatari and I stay away from each other for a while. Give us some time to think; that kind of thing.'_

Pasting a smile onto her face, Sayo turned to the Harada twins and Daisuke, seeing the curious and worried expressions from them. She waved a hand nonchalantly and tried to assure them.

"Oh, well, it was just a little spat," she told them, but it was obvious her friends didn't believe her. "_Seriously_! Things happened yesterday and I'm not all that happy with him, that's all! Don't worry, guys, really."

Even though she could see the skeptism in her classmates' eyes, they didn't push it. Risa, however, wanted her gossip and leaned closer to Sayo, a sly look on her face.

"So, it is true you two are _dating_?" the brunette questioned, causing both Sayo and Daisuke to blush furiously. Sayo frantically waved her hands around, nervously laughing loudly.

"W-what?" she exclaimed, caught off guard. "N-_no_! Hiwatari and I are _just friends_! Honest!"

Risa giggled almost mischievously and her expression became more sly. "Oh _really_?" she drawled out, "Then why are you blushing? Do you _like_ Hiwatari?"

Sayo's blush only got worse- to others, she looked embarrassed, but it was really from remembering how much she liked the boy genius before everything happened. Riku noticed the change and began to lead her sister away.

"C'mon, Risa," the tomboy urged, ignoring the younger girl's protests, "Lunch is ending soon; we should get our books ready."

"But-!"

"_Now_!"

Once the twins were gone, Daisuke remained beside Sayo, watching the girl with concern. Her good mood had disappeared at the mention of her liking Satoshi and all the male Tamer wanted to do was bring her smile back. He stepped closer to her, laying a hand on her shoulder, and gave her a supportive smile.

"Don't worry, Miss Aisaka," he told her gently, "You two will work things out. You'll see- everything will be back to normal before you know it."

Sayo peered up at Daisuke, smiling sadly, and nodded a little. "Yeah. I guess so," she reluctantly agreed. Then she sighed deeply and her smile widened. "I shouldn't dwell too much on it- I'll only end up worrying people like you and Risa and Riku. I don't want to do that."

_"She certainly has a lot of spunk, doesn't she?"_ Dark chuckled from within Daisuke's mind and his Tamer couldn't help but smile- with both Sayo and his other half- and nod.

_'Yeah, she really does,'_ Daisuke agreed cheerfully. He opened his mouth to say something more to Sayo, but at that moment, a certain brown-haired school reporter decided to grab him by the neck and drag him further into the classroom, a smirk on his face.

"Daisuke!" Takeshi exclaimed; the ruby-eyed boy yelped in fright and internally groaned, wondering what his friend was going to trick him into doing this time. "C'mon buddy, we're friends, right? Pals?" he asked as he shook Daisuke by the shoulders. He could see Sayo watching from the doorway, blinking with confusion; she still wasn't used to the strange antics of Saehara quite yet and she probably never would be.

"U-uh, sure?" Daisuke told Takeshi, puzzled at what he was asking about. The brunette then grinned more and pulled his spikey friend closer.

"Good! Then why don't you put in a good word for me to Miss Aisaka over there? I'd ask Hiwatari to, but he scares me! But _you_! I can trust you, right? And if you do it..." Takeshi pulled away enough to suddenly reveal a small envelope of glossy pictures of Risa, all taken without her knowledge, of course. Daisuke knew that his friend still thought he liked Risa, but truth be told, it wasn't her any longer. He liked Sayo... But Takeshi didn't notice the lack of red on Daisuke's face.

"I'll give you all these photos- for _free_! No charge other than to be a pal and get Miss Aisaka on good terms with me! Got it; thanks!" he finished, shoving the envelope into Daisuke's hands and running off with a laugh, waving to the Tamer.

_"Sayo certainly is popular with the boys,"_ Dark said, sounding just a touch surprised- or maybe he was baffled by Takeshi's actions just now. Even the great Phantom Dark still couldn't understand the kid, no matter how often his host talked to him. _"Especially with boys she doesn't even talk much with."_ The Thief chuckled then. _"Better hurry up, Dai, and tell her how you feel! You never know, she just might fall for Saehara instead!"_

Daisuke groaned and hung his head at his other half's words, doubting them but defeated by them nonetheless. _'You're not helping, Dark,'_ he complained before returning to Sayo's side, who was by now grinning goofily. "What's so funny, Miss Aisaka?" he asked, blinking with curiosity. Suddenly, Sayo burst out in giggles, going so far as to bend over and hold her sides.

"That Saehara is one weird kid!" she managed to say through her laughter, "He just tackles you and you're taken so off guard that you're stunned! It's just so... hilariously adorable, Niwa! You're so funny!"

Part of him felt like dying at the fact that she'd seen him that way, but the other side was glad to see her smiling and laughing again, one of the reasons he ended up liking her so much. He smiled warmly and chuckled with her until she finally trailed off, straightening and wiping her eyes, still smiling with amusement.

Just then the bell rang for the end of lunch and the two shared a look of disappointment before heading to their seats.

* * *

Satoshi watched Sayo the whole time she talked with the Harada twins and Daisuke, not even looking away when their eyes met. He had debated with himself on trying to tell her what had happened, but thought it was pointless. Until she was in the mood to talk with him, there was no way to get through to her. Add into the mix of Krad taking advantage of his weakened state to attempt gaining control, and Satoshi was worse for wear than usual.

_"Master Satoshi, I'll ask you again- why would you need the annoying matter of Sayo Aisaka when you have _me_ at your side?"_ the white curse inside his body asked with a hint of malice underneath his words. _"After all, I would _never_ do anything to hurt you; you are my everything and yet you treat her better than you treat me. What has that girl ever done for you that I have not? She has pushed you away at a time I would never. You're better off with only _me_, Master Satoshi. Don't forget that."_

_ 'Shut up,'_ Satoshi snapped, although it was weaker than it normally would have been. He closed his eyes, trying to block out the chatter of the students around him. _'Miss Aisaka accepted me, even when you tried to attack her. She wasn't afraid of anything about me. As for what she found out- well, that was my mistake to keep the notes in the open where she could easily find them.'_ He paused there and mentally scoffed. _'Why am I telling you this at all? It's really none of your business how I feel about anything.'_

_"That's not very nice, Master Satoshi. I care deeply about your feelings. I know you feel strongly for Sayo Aisaka and I also know you feel guilty for creating this fight between you two."_ Krad fell silent there but Satoshi could tell there was more the curse was going to say. _"But just for you, I shall stop talking about it. But only for... now."_ And with that, the other half of the Black Wings fell silent, just as Sayo got to her seat beside him, making it a point not to look in his direction or speak to him while she took out her books for her afternoon classes. Satoshi allowed the silence, knowing there was more to be said later on down the road between them. Right now, he wanted her to be comfortable talking to him, just as he was with her.

Classes went by quickly, much to everyone's relief, and finally, it was time to go home. Satoshi packed his bags silently, resisting the urge to go over to Sayo and apologize- again- about what had happened. But he pushed away the thought and instead busied his mind with preparations for the heist Dark was going to pull that night at the Haruka Museum. Making his way out of the classroom with the other students, he met Daisuke's eyes and they shared a momentary look of what they always thought for the other- safety for Daisuke, despite Satoshi needing to capture Dark, and luck for Satoshi, even though catching Dark would mean Daisuke's secret being made public- then he headed toward the exit of the school.

Suddenly, the pale-haired teen felt a tug from inside his body. It was different from the previous times Krad had tried to control his body; it was like he was being pulled toward something or someone nearby. Looking around, hiding the pain from his face as to avoid people asking about him, he saw Sayo walking toward him, obviously on her way home. As she got closer, the tug became stronger to the point of him needing to lean his back against the wall behind him, trying to remain calm. When the female Tamer was almost in front of Satoshi, he noticed her suddenly hesitate in her walk and a look of pain flashed across her face as well, the same kind the Commander was sure was on his own face.

Sayo looked around, seeming to have Amber talking to her, and their eyes met. For a moment, it seemed they understood what was going on, though Satoshi really didn't get it, but then Sayo suddenly made a run from him, her expression twisted in a startled, almost frightened, face. Once she was gone from sight, Satoshi felt hundreds of times better than he just did mere seconds ago. The pressure was taken off his chest and he could freely breathe again. Straightening and returning to his calm and stoic appearance, Satoshi continued his way out of the school and toward the parkway where he knew a limo was waiting to bring him home.

'What was that?' the boy wondered, racking his mind with what he knew of about everything regarding his family's artwork and their powers and what he had found out about Amber. But nothing came to mind that could possibly explain the strange occurrence that had just happened in the corridor. Shaking his head to forget about it for the time being, he instead concentrated on new traps and procedures he'd use to capture Dark that night.


	22. Chapter 22

"Yet another successful heist," Dark chuckled triumphantly hours later, flying through the night sky away from the outraged shouts of the police and the squeals of his fan girls. The thief dangled the short chain of his targeted art piece in his face, watching the moonlight shine the blood red reflection of the ruby. Then he chuckled again before soaring toward his Tamer's home for a night's rest.

"Although the police didn't seem like their usual disorganized order," the Niwa curse added, like an afterthought.

_'What do you mean?'_ Daisuke asked in their link, sounding confused. Dark grinned slightly, wings flapping once in a while as the sounds of his crime scene faded into the background.

"Normally, the officers are everywhere with a purpose. But if you hadn't noticed, they were more frazzled and kept running into one another." Dark's chuckle rumbled again at the memory of seeing two officers collide and fall to the floor right after he'd disappeared through the window. It reminded him of the Western cartoon shows with characters that literally crashed together; the idea amused the Phantom Thief to no end.

_'Hm. You're right,'_ Daisuke realized in surprise; Dark snorted wryly but said nothing. _'I didn't notice because we were trying to get out quickly, I guess.'_ The boy paused in thought. _'I hope Hiwatari's alright,'_ he said finally, heaving a worried sigh.

"I'm sure he's fine, Daisuke," his older half assured the redhead casually, not sounding the least bit concerned about the blue-haired Commander. "He's probably annoyed of being too slow to catch me," he added with a cocky smirk. Daisuke made a nervous sound but otherwise remained silent. The amethyst-eyed Thief sighed heavily, ready to say more to calm his Tamer's nerves, but didn't get any farther than that.

All of a sudden, a tugging sensation came to the older teen, and when he peered around below him, he noticed Sayo's house and smiled lightly. He urged his wings to head toward the lit-up balcony.

"What do you say to a little night visit to our dear Sayo, hmmm?" Dark murmured, being silent as a ghost as he landed on the same balcony he'd first met the amber-eyed Tamer almost two months ago.

_'Miss Aisaka is usually in bed by now,'_ Daisuke pointed out; his other half crept up to the door, glancing into the bedroom to see if the young girl was in sight.

"Maybe she decided to stay up just for you," Dark teased quietly, sensing the dark red blush on his Tamer's face from embarrassment. Laughing under his breath, Dark entered Sayo's bedroom swiftly, closing the door behind him, and almost instantly, a pressing wave of intensity came over him and the playful mood disappeared.

"You came by," crooned a sickly sweet voice from the doorway leading into the hall. Dark watched with guarded eyes as Amber sauntered into the room, a smile on her face as though it was normal for her to be out.

"I'm glad you're here, Dark," Amber said, stopping a foot from the taller curse. "But the one I _really_ want to talk to is Daisuke."

"Is it?" Dark questioned, feeling unusually suspicious of the woman. "Why do you want to talk to him? He can hear you perfectly like this."

A pout went to Amber's mouth, her dark amber eyes glittering with hurt and disbelief. "Do you not trust me, Dark? I'm wounded that you'd even _think_ I'd do anything to harm your adorable Tamer."

"I don't really trust anyone who worships a devil like Krad, so forgive me if I seem just a bit hesitant to let someone your crush wants to kill, out," Dark told her firmly, his tone not the least apologetic. "Whatever it is you have to say to Daisuke, I'm sure it's nothing I can't know."

"But it's regarding Sayo," Amber explained, continuing her hurt act. "She wanted me to tell him something for her since she's too nervous to do it herself. It's _private_."

_'Dark, let me back out,'_ Daisuke pleaded weakly from the back of their mind. _'If it's private, then I should be the one hearing it.'_

Dark hesitated, clearing against doing so. But the feeling of Daisuke's reluctant need to hear what Amber had to say was too much and the Thief sighed deeply, allowing his younger Tamer to return to his body.

_"Be careful, Daisuke,"_ Dark warned in his hard voice, and Daisuke knew that something was wrong for the Phantom to speak so firmly. _"Don't let your guard down around Amber; she's planning something other than just talking."_

The redhead said nothing to his other half; instead, he gave Amber a smile, trying to assure the woman. The golden-brown-eyed female smiled back and stepped closer to him.

"Thanks for doing that," she told him in relief, "It makes my job a _lot_ easier now." Her casual smile flickered a bit but then returned to normal. Daisuke made sure to keep a good distance between them, wary of Dark's warning, and nodded cheerfully.

"What did you want to tell me for Miss Aisaka?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation on track. Even without Dark's cautious words, the redhead felt uneasy around Amber. She had an air of hidden intent and he didn't wish to find out the secret.

Amber's smile flickered again and she stepped even closer to Daisuke, causing him to bump his back to the balcony doors, gasping lightly.

"Oh, that," Amber laughed, "It wasn't anything huge- well, to _her_, it is, anyway- but I guess I'll tell you anyway." Her smile, Daisuke realized with mild panic as she got closer, was actually much more crazed and almost desperate for something he couldn't name.

"Sayo likes you," Amber giggled, much to Daisuke's embarrassed shock; he cried out and stared widely at the amber-eyed curse, mouth agape with no idea what to say. "She's totally crazy about you! It's ridiculous how much she talks about you!"

Daisuke was concentrating so much on Amber and her declaration that he failed to notice the small, long-bladed kitchen knife she began to raise into the air. Fortunately, Dark had taken heed to the brief glint of light from the blade and he shouted at him Tamer just in time.

_"Daisuke, watch out! She's got a knife- on your left!"_ the Phantom exclaimed, snapping the redhead out of his shock, but just barely. The woman tried to slice the boy, but he managed to catch her wrist before the blade could touch him, wincing when his other hand grabbed at the sharp edge automatically.

"M-Miss Amber...!" Daisuke struggled to say, fighting against the woman urgently as she laughed manically and tried to break free of his tight grasp. "What are you...? What's wrong?"

"I have to get rid of you!" Amber tittered with insanity. "You have to die or else he won't be with me! I've wanted him for so long; I'll do anything to gain his love!"

_'What is she talking about, Dark?'_ the redhead panicked as he finally shoved Amber away and dashed to the side of the room, attempting to keep an eye on her so she couldn't attack him again.

_"I assume she means _Krad_,"_ Dark growled out, frustrated. Amber laughed manically again, following the teen with a now-bloodied knife.

"Where you going?" she called out as they both left the bedroom and headed down the hall toward the stairs. "Don't you want to hear more about why Sayo likes you? She only has _good_ things to say!"

_"Don't listen to her,"_ Dark heeded in a hard tone. _"She's trying to distract you; just keep going...!"_

Beginning to stumble in the unfamiliar upstairs area, Daisuke cried out in surprise when Amber's knife sliced through the air beside his head, causing him to nearly crash into the staircase railing. Heading down the flight to grounds he knew a little more from his visit days ago, the boy led Amber toward the kitchen- though, later on, he realized how dumb that was.

"Miss Amber, please stop!" Daisuke exclaimed, trying to get some ground on the female Phantom, waving his hands desperately to her as she stepped into the kitchen, a crazed smile on her face. She raised the blade, Daisuke's crimson blood glittering in the harsh light above them, and cackled, edged with hysteria. It was clear that her dilated amber pupils were the sign of her derangement, but even with the danger in front of him, Daisuke wanted to understand what caused this.

"Why should I stop?" Amber screeched, truly mad by this point, "Stopping would mean he'll never love me and I'd do anything for that! He wants the Niwa dead, so that's what I'm doing!" She went for him again, but before she could make contact with flesh, a firm hold went onto her wrist. The Aisaka curse gasped sharply as she realized that it wasn't the doe-eyed Tamer who'd grabbed her; Dark's serious amethyst eyes stared down at her.

"D-Dark..." Amber whimpered, tears filling her eyes.

"It won't matter what you do," he told her in a quiet, firm voice, slowly lowering her arm from him. "Krad will never care for another, no matter what you do for him. Whatever he told you to gain his love, it's all a lie. He might be this powerful, great angel in your eyes, but something's happened to make you _think_ that." He pulled Amber closer, their eyes meeting inches from each other. "Krad is nothing like you imagine him, Amber. Or have you forgotten when he tried to kill Sayo? Now..." He tightened his grip on her wrist, eliciting a held-back cry of pain.

"Bring Sayo back."

Those three, simple words and the angry tone the laid-back Thief rarely, if ever, used made an almost instant change occur with the Aisakas. Once Dark knew that Sayo had control, he also changed back so Daisuke stood with her. The younger girl was breathing shallowly and her eyes were overflowing with silent tears, aware of what Amber had done.

"N-Niwa..." she whispered in fright, suddenly noticing the blood-covered knife in her hand. She yelped and dropped it as though it were on fire, stepping back from the male teen. He watched her with sympathy, wordlessly reaching out and gently pulling her into his arms, enveloping her in soothing warmth.

"I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to... She was too strong...!" she cried against Daisuke's chest, holding him tightly. He shook his head, a tiny smile on his face.

"It wasn't you, Miss Aisaka," he assured her kindly, allowing her to let out everything. As she sobbed, he couldn't help but wonder... Did this have to do with Krad or Hiwatari? And if so, what had he done to cause such a reaction on Amber? What was her connection to Krad? There were so many questions which answers didn't come easily and he knew the only way to find out was ask Sayo herself. He didn't want to, but it was the only way to help her; to help Amber.

After a while, Sayo had eventually stopped crying and was only sniffling. Finally, she realized what she'd done and quickly pushed away from Daisuke, looking completely shocked.

"I-I'm sorry...!" she stammered, face red with embarrassment while wiping her eyes. Daisuke chuckled, shaking his head again but the blush reminded him of Amber's earlier words- that Sayo liked him- and he pondered the possibility of the truth.

"Miss Aisaka... about what Miss Amber said earlier," he began; the startled expression and the scared look in her eyes told him not to mention it- yet. He went for a different approach, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Do you know, uh... what she meant about Krad? About getting him to love her."

Sayo's eyes fell to the floor and slowly, hesitantly, she nodded. "Yeah... Sort of." She looked back at him, struggling to seem brave and firm. "Maybe your whole family should hear this. They might be able to help me with something along the way."

Daisuke tilted his head quizzically, blinking. "Help with what?" he asked, completely baffled.

"With getting rid of Amber for good. After what she tried to pull with you, I don't think she should stay around anymore."

* * *

It was nearly three in the morning by the time Satoshi got home. After the police force had failed for the umpteenth time to capture Dark, it was up to him to file the proper papers about what had happened, what failed in the apprehension of the showy Thief, and other boring items. It didn't help that throughout the whole three or four minutes it had taken Dark to pull off his heist, the always-composed Commander constantly for the pain he'd gotten in school earlier.

However, these weren't the only reason the pale-haired boy was frustrated and annoyed by the time he finally got into his dark, empty flat.

Krad had been strangely obedient that evening and it unnerved the stoic Tamer, not that he'd show it. He knew from experience that when Krad did what he was told, trouble wasn't too far behind. It meant that the blond devil was up to something and _that_ was never good.

When Satoshi flicked on the dim light in his room, the first things he saw were the notes Sayo had found two days ago and the cause of their momentous fight. The very sight of them made Satoshi sick to his stomach and he swiftly gathered them all and dumped it into the trashcan, scowling the whole way.

_"Why, Master Satoshi, what's the reason behind such important notes being thrown out?"_ Krad laughed, already knowing the answer. Satoshi said nothing and proceeded to change for bed. Tonight, he would skip the routine homework period in exchange for rest. The teachers would excuse him; it was their idea that he forget about homework in general, anyway. If he didn't do the assigned pages just once, they wouldn't care.

But he remained wide awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling like some insomniac. His thoughts churned viciously and a heavy sigh escaped him. It would be one of _those_ nights...

_"What are you thinking about, Master Satoshi?"_ Krad inquired, his crooning words ruined by the malicious smirk on his pale face. _"Perhaps you are thinking about that Sayo Aisaka. After what happened, surely you don't believe she'll ever return to you as either friend _or _more."_ Krad let out a cruel cackle, making Satoshi grunt inaudibly and narrow his eyes with irritation. _"Oh, am I bothering you, Master Satoshi?" _he went on, _"Do forgive me- I will allow you peace tonight. But be warned... I will not be so easy next time."_

With that said, Satoshi's curse retreated into the back of his conscious, relieving the blue-haired Tamer of the stress that accompanied his daily life. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, wishing for sleep to take him. But it was a wasteful hope, as it took nearly two more hours before finally slipping into a chaotic rest with nightmarish thoughts of never-ending darkness and memories of having no one beside him, before he entered Azumano Junior High.

The next time he woke up, he felt even more exhausted than before, limbs sore and head throbbing. Satoshi didn't care about the cause behind the pain; he just wanted Sayo to speak to him again.


	23. Chapter 23

"You're sure you're alright to go in today? I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind talking about things with you," Daisuke told Sayo the next day as they headed to the train station together. The black-haired girl nodded in reply and hiked her bag up further her shoulder and tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it faded, just as it always did whenever she saw the bandage on his hand. It only made her think back to how she'd lost control of Amber and allowed the Aisaka curse to injure the redhead.

"I'll be fine, Niwa," she told Daisuke quietly, waving his worries away with a hand. "If I feel bad later on, I'll go home. Promise," she added, hoping to soothe his nerves. But he didn't look convinced as he looked firmly at her, seeming more mature than usual.

"If you feel bad, then you can go to my place. Mom won't mind, honest," he told her and his urges made Sayo laugh softly. He faltered in his firm expression, staring at her with wide, red eyes as a small blush formed on his cheeks from how she looked with an amused smile on her lips. Sayo waved a hand to him, still giggling slightly.

"Alright, alright, I'll go to your place if I feel sick," she agreed just as they reached the platform, having several minutes before the train would come. "So, do you think your family will find anything worthwhile to help me with Amber?" she asked, her tone serious once again. Remembering the previous night after Daisuke brought Sayo to his house, the boy nodded and gave her an encouraging smile.

"Of course I do! If there's anyone to find such a strange thing like a ritual to seal an odd curse like Miss Amber, it'll be my family," he exclaimed brightly, then noticed the slight scowl on her face, her nose wrinkled when he spoke Amber's name. He assumed it brought memories of the previous night to her and his smile faded. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say her name," he apologized softly.

Sayo shook her head with an aggravated sigh. "Why do you call her _Miss_, Niwa?" she asked him, sounding annoyed. "Especially what she did to you, you'd think she'd be called Crazy Idiot rather than Miss Amber." She shook her head, a fond smile on her face. "You're so weird, you know that?"

Another tiny, barely visible blush formed on Daisuke's cheeks and he tried to properly say a sentence, but it only came out as stammers and ended with him clearing his throat. Turning his head upward to the beautiful blue sky, he shrugged. "I don't think Miss Amber was in her right mind, so she wasn't to fully blame for what happened," he explained quietly so no one around them heard what they were talking about. Sayo gaped at him with shocked, wide eyes.

"Not to fully blame?" she repeated incredually, being her turn to stammer out a sentence. "But she- and your hand- it was stupid and-" She stopped and slapped a hand to her forehead, letting out a sound that was between a growl and a short laugh. "Wow, Niwa, you're _really_ too nice sometimes," she told him with a grin, looking over to him. "I mean, a girl cut your hand pretty badly, tried to _kill_ you and you simply say that she wasn't in her right mind." She laughed some more, shaking her head with disbelief. "You're totally amazing, aren't you?" she added under her breath. But Daisuke caught it, having good hearing as a Phantom Tamer, and went red again, turning from Sayo so she didn't see it when she looked over at him again.

"U-uhm..." Daisuke tried thanking her, but wasn't sure if she was serious or joking like she usually was with him.

_"I believe the words you're looking for are 'Thank' and 'you',"_ Dark's laughing words came suddenly, nearly making Daisuke jump in the air with surprise. _"If I'm not mistaken, Daisuke, I dare say that Sayo is actually _flirting_ with you. In her own way, of course,"_ the Thief added, sounding momentarily impressed, which caused his Tamer to blush furiously and try to muster a scowl toward the older male sharing his body and mind.

_'Not every girl who happens to have a pleasant conversation with me and joke around is flirting, Dark,'_ Daisuke told his older friend, attempting to sound scolding and only managing with feeble and embarrassed. He inwardly sighed after taking a quick glance over to Sayo, who was enjoying the breeze on her face. _'Besides, she likes Hiwatari...'_ he added, defeated.

_"Hey, but isn't she mad at Hiwatari?"_ Dark asked, remembering how she ignored the Commander the other day in Daisuke's school. The redhead blinked, the reminder dawning on him. _"So here's your chance! Find out what Hiwatari did and comfort her about it!"_ Dark advised with a large grin. _"That'll give you big points with her so she might end up falling for _you_- hopefully before the school year ends, too."_

Daisuke bit his bottom lip, contemplating that idea, then quickly shook his head against it. _'No! I can't betray Miss Aisaka's trust and friendship like that!'_ he protested feverishly. He heard Dark mutter something about having no guts to try new things.

_"Alright, but don't say it wasn't a good idea to try,"_ the Thief said, the sound of a shrugging action evident in his words before Daisuke felt his presence melt into the back of his conscious. It was at that moment that the train whistle blew in the distance and the P.A. speaker announced the arrival of the train heading to Azumano Junior and High School. He turned to face Sayo, who seemed to be in a daze, staring off into space and unmoving. Concerned, Daisuke reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, which instantly snapped her out of her state.

"Miss Aisaka?" he questioned in a soft tone, looking at her with worry. "Are you alright?"

Sayo blinked then nodded, a faint smile on her face. "Y-yeah, fine," she replied, "Probably didn't get enough sleep last night, is all," she explained as they boarded the train and found seats together. Once the train started moving, she looked out the window. "Say, isn't the next stop supposed to be Risa's?" she asked him.

Daisuke followed her gaze and noticed that it indeed was the train stop the younger Harada boarded for school every morning. It made him realize as well that it was nearly five months since he had tried confessing his feelings to her and got rejected before he could get a word out. Strange how it didn't even occur to him until Sayo pointed it out. He brought his attention next to him, where the raven-haired girl sat, still looking out the window, and a small smile stretched to his lips. It was mainly because of his meeting with _her_ that he had managed to forget being shot down by Risa, and because of _her_ that he could move on and find a new person to care for.

Sure, he still didn't know everything about Sayo like Hiwatari probably did, but he hoped that he would have the time to learn it all. Along the way of doing so, he'd get to see her smile more and hear her laugh and watch her joke about Dark and agree with him as he spoke about Dark's antics. And that was exactly what he liked about her- the fact that despite everything going on in her life, she still managed to smile and laugh her way through each day. She was so brave and funny, being able to fend off Dark with her quirky attitude and smart-ass quips, and just plain stubborn sometimes. He liked everything about Sayo and he wished he could tell her so, but it wasn't the right time yet. He'd wait until the right moment came _then_ tell her. Something deep inside his chest told him it wouldn't be the same outcome as his failed confession with Risa.

* * *

"_Daisuke_!" the brown-haired reporter exclaimed as he pounced on the redhead, pulling him from Sayo and Risa, who had begun chatting on the train and met up with Riku on the way to school. Daisuke yelped and nearly fell to the ground, barely managing to catch his balance before looking up at Saehara, whose sly grin was plastered on his face. It could only mean one thing...

"So! Did you tell Miss Aisaka anything about me yet?" Takeshi asked, shaking Daisuke senseless. "Is she craving my attention yet or what? Have you said anything?" he demanded, getting more and more violent with his shaking with each word. Daisuke pulled out of his friend's grasp and straightened his shirt, sighing heavily. He hadn't even gotten to the front doors of the school and already the brunette was at him. This was going to be a _very_ long day...

"No, I didn't get a chance," Daisuke told Takeshi, not taking notice to the boy's shell-shocked expression as he continued on his way inside the building with the other students.

"_What_?" Takeshi shouted, racing up to the redhead and grabbing him by the collar. "_Dai-suke_! I asked you to do something so small for me, your friend since we were five! And for free pictures of Harada, too!" Takeshi pulled away, weeping crocodile tears into his shirt sleeve. "What kind of friendship do we have when you won't do such a simple favor for me? Oh, I weep for us, Daisuke!"

Daisuke sighed heavily and pushed his way past the reporter, hearing the three girls talking amongst each other and laughing over something he didn't know of. "Things came up... That's all," he said under his breath, not particularly caring if Takeshi heard him or not. But it seemed the reporter did and he suddenly grabbed Daisuke into a neck hold, practically choking the redhead.

"What _kind_ of things?" he exclaimed, sounding accusatory. "Don't tell me you did things with my precious Sayo! After all these years, this is how you repay me for our friendship?"

Daisuke went as red as his hair then and shoved Takeshi away, walking quickly backwards as he waved his hands frantically. "N-no! Not _that_, Saehara!" he protested with a massive blush, not noticing that he was about to walk straight into Sayo. The Harada twins tried to warn him but it was too late- Daisuke had collided with Sayo and the two ended up falling to the ground in a heap, both yelping in surprise as they landed on the walkway. The twins and Takeshi stared at the two while they tried to understand what had happened.

"Niwa...?" Risa questioned her friend, watching the dust settle, then gasped sharply, holding a hand to her mouth in shock. "Niwa! How bold!"

Daisuke groaned and sat up, opening his eyes to see that he had landed on top of Sayo, their legs tangled together while his face was mere inches from hers. Sayo was staring up at him, amber eyes wide with shock as his were, and a deep, scarlet blush formed on both their faces as Daisuke struggled to get off Sayo.

"I-I'm so sorry!" he shouted loudly, scrambling to his feet and helping her up. Silent, Sayo merely shook her head, the blush still clear on her face. "I'm _so_ sorry, Miss Aisaka!" Daisuke said again, bowing his head several times, "I didn't mean to do that! Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"N-no, I'm fine, Niwa, don't worry," Sayo told him with another shake of her head, beginning to walk toward the front doors again, Daisuke and the others following. The redhead continued trying to apologize, red as a beet, and Risa watched behind them, growing aware of what was going on. If the day was starting out like _this_, they could only imagine what the rest of the day would ensue with.

* * *

"Dad, have you found anything yet?" Emiko asked wearily from one corner of the basement, closing her tenth book and starting on the next in the pile. She glanced over to her white-haired father, who was sitting at a different corner of the large basement, head bowed inside a book with many other leather-bound volumes surrounding him. At her question, he raised his head and shook his head, disappointed, closing his own tome. Both heaved a heavy sigh, a moment of silence passing between them before the door above opened and light footsteps sounded.

"Sorry for taking so long!" Towa chirped, laying a cup of steaming tea beside each Niwa with a bright smile. She held the tray up to her chest and glanced between the two adults. "So, how's the search going?" she asked, the smile fading just the slightest at the discouraging looks on her masters' faces.

"No luck as of yet," Emiko said with a shake of her head, turning to stare at all the books in front of her on the make-shift table. "I don't understand... Why would it be so difficult to find a spell or ritual to seal a spirit like Amber? She's not part of the Black Wings, so there's no way we wouldn't have anything on her," she said aloud to herself, trying to figure out the puzzle. Towa laid a finger to the side of her cheek, thinking.

"Hmm.. Well, didn't Miss Sayo tell us that Amber is the spirit of a woman who once loved one of the Hikari ancestors?" she asked, "Maybe that's why you can't find anything- because Amber's not an actual art piece that Dark would steal. She's the spirit of a real person, somehow trapped inside Miss Sayo." She snapped her fingers, smiling brightly as though getting an idea. "Oh! That's it! Something to dispel a living spirit should do well!" As though knowing exactly where to look, Towa dug through the pile of books Emiko had already searched and opened one, flipping through the pages hurriedly.

Finally, she beamed and held the page out to her mistress, looking proud of herself. "There we are! A sure-fire way to get rid of Amber, found by yours-truly!" she giggled, allowing the sandy-haired woman to read the contents of the ritual. At first her expression read relief and happiness for finding such a spell, but it quickly faded into one of shock and disbelief. She fell back into her seat.

"This can't be the only way..." Emiko murmured loudly, shaking her head. Daiki stood and went over to his daughter, taking the book from her hands and reading it himself. After a minute, the same expression went onto his face.

"This can't be," he gasped out; Towa struggled to see what was written inside the huge volume.

"What? What is it?" she asked curiously. Emiko raised her head to the maid, eyes glazed with unshed tears of sadness.

"In order to dispel Amber, we have to seal her with the one she's connected with, who is Krad. And because of that, it means we'll have to seal his other half along with him. Which means..." She trailed off, unable to say the rest.

Daiki finished her sentence, voice grave and quiet. "Which means, the Black Wings will have to be sealed. Dark will be gone as well."

Towa let out a horrified squeal, the shrill sound bouncing off the concrete walls of the basement as all three of them realized the dire situation. In order to free Sayo of Amber, both Dark and Krad would be sacrificed as well. Krad wasn't a problem to be sealed- being a pain to everyone who encountered him- but Dark...


	24. Chapter 24

"So... that's the whole thing," Sayo sighed as she slumped against Daisuke's living room couch, hot chocolate in hand. She still looked worse for wear, and explaining the fight with Satoshi hadn't seemed to help much. Daisuke looked quite shocked, as if unable to believe that the blue-eyed boy would betray the girl like she claimed. Considering how careful he was to not get close to _any_one, it was strange to hear that he'd hurt someone he cared deeply for. Or maybe...

"You really think Hiwatari did it to hurt you?" Daisuke asked after a long minute, incredulous at her tale. Sayo brought her eyes up to meet his red ones, startled at his suddenly question. She sat up, eyebrow raised with a frown.

"Why wouldn't he?" she returned, "I mean, if he didn't want to hurt me, then he wouldn't have left those notes in the open where anyone could find them." The young girl shook her head wearily, taking a sip of her drink. Daisuke took the pause as an opportunity to talk again.

"But the room you said you went into... That was Hiwatari's room," the redhead explained calmly, thoughtfully. "He's permitted to have his things out like that. So, it wasn't like he _meant_ for you to see the notes, right?"

Sayo stared at the boy over the rim of her mug, unblinking and fixated on him. After a few seconds, he began to shift nervously, wondering if he'd said something wrong.

_"No matter how you see her, Sayo _is_ still a female,"_ Dark commented casually in the back of his Tamer's mind, _"And female minds will _always_ be a mystery to understand."_

Daisuke frowned mentally, not finding the Thief's words to be true or amusing. But before he could reply, Sayo let out a deep sigh and brought him back to their conversation. A half smile had crept onto her lips and her expression was mildly amused.

"I love how you find logic in practically anything, Niwa," she said, causing a faint blush to appear on his cheeks. Through their link, he could tell Dark was grinning at his reaction. Sayo laid the mug down. "But maybe you're right. I guess I should have listened properly to what Hiwatari had tried telling me." She paused. "But I'm still mad at him. He shouldn't have kept it from me in the first place."

"Well, as long as you try to understand him a bit more, I guess that's all that counts,"Daisuke told her, nodding with a calm smile. Just then, the door to the basement swung open and Emiko, Daiki and Towa all came out, grave and worried expressions on each of their faces. The teens stood immediately, sensing something was wrong.

"Mom? Grandpa?" Daisuke questioned carefully. "What's the matter? Did you find anything?"

That question snapped the adults from whatever trance they'd been in and Emiko gazed sadly at her son and Sayo. Towa shuffled away, her voice on the verge of cracking as she said something about tea. Daisuke and Sayo shared a concerned glance, knowing by this point that there was indeed something wrong.

Daiki closed his eyes and bent his head slightly, hands stuffed into the arms of his kimono. "They have the right to know, Emiko," he said to his daughter. She opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out. Instead, she sighed and reluctantly nodded.

"We found a way to remove Amber," Emiko began; Sayo smiled widely in relief, but Daisuke knew better than to get his hopes up.

"What do we do?" he asked, tone wary and cautious of his mother's next words. The woman lightly bit her lip, gazing at her son sadly. It only made Daisuke more suspicious and he placed a calming hand to Sayo's shoulder, who appeared eager for the idea.

"What is it, Mom?" Daisuke repeated softly.

"Well... it's flawed. A lot," Emiko hesitated, then drew in a breath. "In order to remove Amber, we also have to get rid of Dark and Krad."

Both teens stared at her then each other, eyes wide in shock. Sayo finally shook her head swiftly, turning to Emiko.

"No! I won't do that!" she exclaimed firmly, "There _has_ to be another way with_out_ doing that! Anything!"

Daiki, who had been standing beside his daughter the whole time, shook his head regretfully. "I'm afraid not," he told her apologetically; Sayo's face fell and Daisuke frowned sadly. Neither wanted to lose Dark for anything, even at the chance to be rid of Amber and Krad.

"There's no other way, Sayo," Emiko explained gently, "It's the only way Amber can be sealed away for good. The ritual calls for the one she cares about and their other half." She paused, glancing down into the text she had brought up with her, face screwed up with confusion. "It doesn't say why the other half is needed, but I assume it's to make the entity complete." She looked back up, sympathy and guilt in her dark eyes at both of the students. "I am _so_ sorry, but it's all up to you two if you still want to go through with it..."

With that lingering in the air, Emiko turned to walk into the kitchen, followed by her father, which let Daisuke and Sayo to stare at each other and not even begin to think of what to do. She sank slowly to the couch arm rest, staring down at the floor as Daisuke watched her, understanding what she was thinking. Like him, she had spent so long with Amber- joking around with her, teasing each other, listening to her making comments about things around her. It was hard to think of getting rid of her other half at such a price- Dark. Sure, the Thief was cocky, arrogant and a bit _too_ confident in what he did, but somehow, that was what also made him charming. Suddenly giving him up- pretty much sacrificing him at the cost of this... It was hard to believe or even fathom.

"I-I can't..." Sayo whispered then, on the edge of crying at the thought. She looked up at Daisuke, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I-I can't even _think_ about doing this now... Not when it means getting rid of Dark, too. I can't do that." She feverishly shook her head. Daisuke sat on the couch cushion beside her, unsure of what to do or say to her so she'd feel better.

_"Daisuke, let me talk to her. Maybe I can help her make up her mind,"_ Dark suggested, her voice quiet in the redhead's mind. Hesitating for a moment, he eventually nodded in agreement and suddenly, Dark appeared, sitting where Daisuke had mere seconds ago. The Thief laid a gentle hand on Sayo's arm, causing her to look over at him, eyes wide.

"It's alright," he told her with a smile. "Amber has become a danger to you, Sayo. I wouldn't feel right, risking your life just to stay here."

"But, Dark.." she said quietly, trailing off as she didn't and couldn't say anything else. She could only sit there, crying silently at the hard decision she faced. "You didn't do anything wrong, though...! If I agreed to the ritual, I'll feel so bad for taking you away when you're not to blame...!"

"Hey," Dark said gently, making her look up at him. The purple-haired teen gave her a confident smile, the same one he flashed whenever he was trying to persuade someone for something. "It's only a small price to pay for your and Dai's happiness. Besides," he added with a chuckle, "it gets rid of Krad, too. You'd be a savior to Hiwatari for taking away his pain. And the world _could_ always use one less blond devil." Dark brushed his lips to her forehead. "Just think about it. Don't think that agreeing will be such a bad thing. Think of the good things that come out of. I know you'll make the right choice."

He pulled back, seeing the light flush on Sayo's face, and chuckled again before returning Daisuke to his own body. The redhead smiled warmly at her, backing his other half's words; Sayo sighed deeply and closed her eyes.

"I really need to think about it," she said after a long moment, sounding tired. Dasuke checked the time and saw that it was past the normal time he went to sleep. He smiled some more and stood up, holding a hand to her.

"Maybe a good night's rest will help clear your mind," he suggested cheerfully, trying to calm her down from everything that had happened. Nodding in agreement, Sayo followed him up to his room, where his couch had been set up as a temporary bed once more for her. Neither spoke much, only a few words here and there, then murmured good-nights to each other when they finally slipped under the covers and allowed sleep to catch them after the long day.

* * *

_She tied the ribbon into the right part of her side ponytail, humming happily to herself as she recalled the dinner at the fancy Western restaurant she had chosen that year for her birthday. She had enjoyed the hamburger platter she'd had, but she thought for next year, she'd go back to her favorite French place instead. For once, her other half had been silent throughout the whole day, and she wondered if she was sick. But if she was, she would've felt the sickness, so the little girl merely ignored the quiet. _

_ With one final tug to keep the blue ribbon in place, she hopped off the small stool that was in front of her vanity and walked around it to head for her bed, where her coat was. The moment she reached the bed, however, a wave of dizziness came to her, hard and fast enough to send the child into a stumble backwards, to her bedroom door. Unable to grab anything to catch her balance, she collapsed to the floor, losing consciousness quickly. The last thing she pictured in her mind was her parents, smiling down at her like they always did._

_ It felt like years before she finally came to and when she did, shock went through her as she noticed she was in her parents' bedroom. No one was to be seen and silence filled the whole house. Nervously, she crept over to the side of the bed, the covers messed up which was unlike her mother and father's bed to be like. _

_ "M-Mommy..?" she called out in a soft, frightened voice. "D-Daddy..."_

_ Neither adults answered their child and it only made her that much more nervous and afraid. She stepped closer to the corner of the bed, peering over it cautiously as though something might pop out and terrify her to death. She saw a bit of dark red, the color of her mother's shoes that she'd been wearing that evening. Feeling just a bit more relieved to know that her parents hadn't left suddenly, she took another step closer, the view growing to the point of seeing a lightly tanned leg at a strange angle on the floor. _

_ Fear growing again, she took a brave inhale and walked out until she stood beside the foot of the king-sized bed, eyes practically bulged out of her sockets now. Her breath became shallow and quick as tears blurred her vision and panic filled her chest to the point of overflowing from her eyes. She shook her head slowly, taking a single step backward, away from the sight of her parent's agape, blank expressions and shocked-looking eyes that were now drained of any emotion._

_ Their fancy attire were covered with dark crimson blood and the stench was getting too much for her. Blood was still pooling around the adults' stomachs and heads, where she could see clean wounds from what she thought was a knife of some kind. _

_ She glanced down, watching the blood head toward her, and gasped as she jumped back to avoid getting her shoes soiled with the red liquid. When she did, she noticed the front of her dress was stained with the blood as well and then her head snapped up, seeing herself in the mirror of the vanity._

_ Her face was starch white, pale like a ghost, and her amber eyes were as wide as she'd ever seen them before, filled with fear and panic and shock. And for just a split second, a flash appeared in the reflection- Amber, looking like her usual eighteen year old self, with a crazed grin on her face, which told the little girl everything she needed to know. _

_ A scream built up in her throat and she finally drew a breath to let it out, opening her mouth and-_

* * *

Sayo shot up on the couch, the scream in her memories transferring into her present self. She hadn't meant to let it out, but having it in the open made the nightmare seem that much farther away. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she almost didn't notice Daisuke appearing beside her, looking panicked and still half asleep. Nothing seemed to register to her ears, though she knew he was talking to her. All she could do was grab him tightly and sob into his shoulder, trying not but failing at remembering the buried memory of Amber murdering her parents with no remorse.

"She did it! I can't believe she did this to me!" Sayo sobbed loudly, gripping Daisuke as close as she could get him. He didn't protest; instead, he held her just as close, stroking a hand through her hair, hoping to comfort her somehow.

"Who did what, Miss Aisaka?" he asked, the one question going through her mind. The raven-haired teen pulled back, staring up at the red, soothing doe eyes that she had grown to see around her the past few months. Right now, that was all she wanted. More than anything.

"Amber killed my parents, Niwa...!" she got out past hiccupping coughs from crying so much and hard. Within the next few seconds, past Daisuke's look of absolute shock, Emiko and Towa appeared, still in their night clothes, trying to understand what the matter was. Finally, Daisuke shook out of his trance and he looked Sayo firmly in the eye, holding her shoulders gently.

"Miss Aisaka..." he said slowly, quietly after his mother and the maid had calmed down a bit. Sayo stared back, still shaking violently over what she had seen in her nightmare. "Miss Aisaka, I think you know what this means..."

Sayo nodded, getting exactly what he meant. "I know," she told him, her voice rough and scratchy, "This only proved my decision more... We need to do the ritual and get rid of Amber. Before she can kill anyone else close to me."


	25. Chapter 25

As the days passed since Sayo's final decision, the two teens began spending more and more time together, not just trying to help Daisuke's family gather the materials needed to perform the sealing ritual, but also getting closer in school, which everyone could tell from a distance. Not that either noticed, of course, since they were much too busy talking in hushed voices about what risks that might pop up for them during the ritual. They didn't even notice Saehara staring at them with a strange glint in his brown eyes.

"I know this _has_ to be done, but I still can't help feeling guilty," Sayo murmured, sighing deeply. Daisuke smiled to her, hoping it would reassure her of any fear she had.

"Don't, Miss Aisaka," he told her brightly, reaching for her hand and squeezing gently. Dark teased him, like an older brother would, and Daisuke immediately dropped her hand, face as red as his hair. He cleared his throat and tried to speak.

"I-I mean, the ritual will be taking care of two beings that are a danger to their hosts," the redhead explained, trying for casualty in his voice. "And Dark said he's fine with it. Though, I'll admit that this will sadden me- having Dark taken away just as I was getting used to him."

Daisuke paused, seeing the worried and guilt-ridden face on Sayo, and waved his hands in front of him, laughing weakly. "But don't think so much about it! Dark and I _both_ knew that he would leave one day _any_way, so it's not like we expected to be stuck together forever!" he hastily tacked on, attempting to calm the girl. It didn't seem to work well, however, and he sighed heavily in defeat. He wasn't sure what to say that would ease her mind.

Just then, the bell rang, signifying that lunch was over and fourth period would start soon. Smiling, Daisuke straightened from where he'd leaned against a windowsill, and he chuckled kindly to Sayo. She still had her bottom lip between her teeth, but managed a tiny smile in return.

"I guess I'll see you last period?" the redhead asked, already starting to turn and head to his afternoon classroom. Sayo nodded; Daisuke smiled and chuckled a bit more, then jogged down the hall, leaving Sayo to watch after him.

Even though only four days had passed since the decision, the black-haired girl found herself enjoying the boy's company more and more. Maybe it was because he eased her fear of what was going on lately, or he was just always around her so she simply got used to him. Whatever the case, Sayo couldn't help but feel a little fluttering in her chest when he smiled that large, happy grin of his. It made her feel as though the trouble she was going through could be fixed soon, as long as he was there with her. And that both delighted and confused Sayo.

As she walked to her own classroom, her thoughts were abruptly stopped as she noticed Daisuke's photographer friend, Takeshi Saehara, heading toward her. Normally, she'd think nothing of it, that he was simply heading to _his_ class, but it was the faint blush and determined look on his face that she took heed to.

"Saehara, you okay?" Sayo asked when they slowed to a stop in front of each other. The brunette teen gulped loud enough that she heard it, and nodded his head toward a window, which showed the light snow drifting to the ground two stories below.

"Can... can we talk?" Takeshi asked, his voice coming out nervous and gruff. Blinking, Sayo slowly nodded and stood beside the cool glass, still in front of the boy. She began wondering what he wanted, but once she took his blush and attemptions at keeping calm into consideration, it all clicked. Suddenly, she felt like melting through the floor tile cracks and disappearing.

"I've been trying to say this since I saw you, but I never had the courage to," Takeshi began slowly, his eyes fixated on Sayo's amber hues. "You probably don't know this- or maybe you do, I don't know- but I..." The boy stopped, face going dark red now; he took a deep breath, ready to just blurt it out.

"I really like you, Miss Aisaka; please go on a date with me!"

Even though she knew what he was going to ask, it didn't stop the dark blush from going to her cheeks. In her old school, Sayo had only been a little popular, but being confessed to still managed to embarrass her. Now she had to figure out how to let Saehara down without sounding cruel.

Sayo lowered her eyes from the brunette, hesitant to even speak. "I... I'm really sorry, Saehara..." she said slowly, picking the right words, "I mean, you're nice and interesting to be around, but..." 'But you would run away from me if you ever found out about Amber.' she wanted to add, knowing how true it was.

"Oh..." Takeshi said, disappointed yet he seemed to know he'd be shot down. Sayo kept her eyes on her white shoes, too guilty to meet his brown eyes. "You like Niwa, don't you?"

That sudden question made Sayo snap her head up, eyes wide with baffled shock. Takeshi nodded, taking her reaction as embarrassment at being found out.

"I figured as much. You two are awfully chummy and have been hanging out a _lot_ lately," he went on, "And he doesn't seem to react the same when I mention the younger Harada, so I guess it means you two dig each other."

Finally, he sighed deeply and raised his hands up for a defeated shrug, his usual playful attitude returning. "Once again, I'm too late with a cute girl! I've gotta ask Daisuke what his secret is; he gets all the cute ones!" Without waiting for Sayo to answer, the reporter turned and gave her a grin and wave. "Well, I guess I'll leave you and Daisuke alone! See yah, Miss Aisaka!"

And he was gone, leaving Sayo in the middle of the hallway, wide-eyed and confused over what the brunette had said. Did Daisuke _really_ actually like her? If he did, she never noticed much. She wracked her mind, trying to recall any hint of how the redhead felt, but couldn't for her life.

_"But he _does_. I know it,"_ Amber piped up, her usual peppy voice and full of life now lacked any happy emotion as if wary of incurring Sayo's wrath. Her Tamer frowned at the sound of her other half, spinning on her heel to stalk back to her class, for which she was very late now.

_'What makes you think I want to hear you right now? Or at _all_?'_ Sayo growled through the bond. _'You murdered my parents, Amber. And you tried to kill Niwa, too. I'm not listening or talking to you.'_

For a second, the older spirit was silent and Sayo thought she'd gotten the point and shut up. But when the teen arrived at her classroom, Amber spoke up again, guilt heavy in her voice.

_"I'm sorry... I know it doesn't change anything, Sayo, but I really don't remember very much of why I did it. I only remember knowing that I _had_ to do it."_

By this point, Sayo had entered the class, so she acted as though there wasn't a second voice talking to her in her mind. The teacher looked surprised for a second.

"Oh. Miss Aisaka," he said lightly, "I thought you were absent this afternoon."

"No, I was caught up with something," Sayo explained with a shrug. The man blinked but said nothing more as he explained the new assignment and who she was partnered with. Much to her dismay, but not her surprise, Satoshi was calmly waiting for her at the two desks shoved together to make working easier. Sayo inwardly groaned, not wanting to deal with the collected teen.

"Glad to see you're safe, Miss Aisaka," Satoshi greeted in a murmur, not looking up from his textbook. The raven-haired girl made a noncommittal grunt, trying to say as little as possible to him; she still refused to forgive him, even if she _did_ understand that he didn't mean to hurt her.

Satoshi sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Unless you want your English grade to drop, I'd suggest you forget our disagreement for the time being and work with me. Otherwise, this project will turn out to be very poorly done and our mark will drastically be affected."

While Sayo stared at the glasses-clad teen with contempt at how much sense he made, Satoshi couldn't help but lightly smirk, knowing she'd give in. Just as he thought, the younger Tamer sighed heavily and she inched her chair closer, laying a cheek onto her knuckles, looking at Satoshi with bland eyes.

"Well, what do you want to do? English isn't my best subject," she asked; Satoshi smirked a bit more in amusement.

"I've noticed," he murmured under his breath, though Sayo still heard it. After sending him another bland glare and receiving a low chuckle from the genius, they began discussing what to do for their English project.

A sudden thought popped into Sayo's mind and she blurted out, "Why don't we do Macbeth?"

Satoshi raised his eyes, widened slightly in surprise, to the girl; she immediately flushed and fidgeted in her seat. She'd been thinking of the ritual for Amber, which reminded her of the spell the witches cast over their cauldron. But mentioning it to Satoshi, who was unaware of the decision made, might have been a bad idea. Now he'd try to get her to tell him and if Krad was listening in, everyone would be at risk. She should have kept her mouth shut.

"Macbeth," the Commander repeated, scribbling something down on some loose leaf. "Yes, that sounds fine. I don't think anyone else would have thought of it, either." He said nothing about the reason she chose it and never had Sayo been so grateful for his tact. But she _did_ have to tell him about the ritual since it involved Krad, she knew that much.

For now, though, she decided to keep quiet until all the details were sorted out. Which meant talking about how to present their project.

Half the class went by without a hitch, then close to the end of the period, Satoshi stopped writing in his notebook and looked up at Sayo, his blue eyes reflecting guilt and what seemed to be hope.

"Miss Aisaka... Before we go to our next class, I'd like to speak to you about something."

Sayo's heart lurched tightly, not ready to hear what he had to say about the origin of their fight. But she knew it would happen, so might as well get it over with.

The female Tamer laid her pencil down and fixed her attention to him, staring into the half melted ice that she once found calm and soothing. Now she saw hidden grief and growing iciness, like he was reverting back to his old ways before she arrived.

"Alright," Sayo said slowly, bracing herself for the bomb, "What do you want to talk about?" Her tone was almost too polite and civil- nothing like she used to speak to him.

"I know you're probably still upset, but I just wanted to apologize again," the glasses-clad teen told her quietly, keeping his head down so it looked like he was still working. "I really had no intention of you discovering those notes and I believe that you were correct about me telling you in the beginning." He raised his eyes back to Sayo, filled with secrecy and deep longing; what it was aimed at, she didn't understand.

"I'd like to make it up to you, if you'd permit me," he continued, leaning back in his seat. Sayo raised an eyebrow curiously, wondering what he had in mind.

"Like what exactly?" she questioned warily, crossing her arms. Satoshi briefly closed his eyes, fingering his glasses up his nose again.

"Perhaps... a way to rid yourself of Amber," he suggested quietly. Sayo's eyes widened drastically at his words, holding back a cry of shock and resisted the urge to jump to her feet. Instead, she stared at the boy, mouth agape. He took it as a chance to keep going.

"I was searching through some books from my family archive a few nights ago and ran into something an ancestor of mine wrote about banishing a human spirit from their host; like Amber, for example." Satoshi glanced over to the girl, who was still staring at him. "They wrote about a ritual that would get rid of not just Amber, but Dark and Krad."

After a moment of long silence, Sayo finally stammered in shock and her expression firmed into determination, standing suddenly just when the bell rang for the last period. Satoshi, still in his seat and watching the girl despite their classmates leaving the room, merely blinked and waited for her to say something, anything that told of her reaction to his news.

"Okay, that's it..." Sayo said quietly, her tone hard and seeming angry. Raising an eyebrow, Satoshi wondered if he had somehow managed to anger her further; if so, how? He couldn't think of anything wrong he'd say in the last fifteen minutes. Then the girl raised her eyes to his and he saw the excited and confident grin on her face, closing in on a smirk that was creepily familiar of Dark's after a successful heist. Sayo reached forward and grabbed Satoshi by the wrist sleeve and tugged him out of his seat. "Me, you and Niwa need to have a little talk about this!" she told the blue-haired teen, allowing him to grab his things before dragging him out of the classroom and toward the room where she and Daisuke had their last class together.

They zigzagged through the swarms of students, Sayo calling out to 'move it or lose it!' while Satoshi could only follow behind, amazed at how direct and straightforward she was being at the moment. He couldn't remember any time when they had been around together and she acted this way. She had been hesitant and almost shy; not once had she been so confident. Was this the effect being around people like Dark and Daisuke was having on her? It suited her to be this way, the Commander thought, not realizing that they'd just arrived at Mr. Kaseda's classroom, having Home Ec class.

He stayed by the door, hands in his pockets casually as Sayo went inside and toward the redhead already sitting at his seat. She spoke to the other Tamer, her gestures quick and short, and Daisuke's eyes went wider than they already were, obviously surprised or shocked at her words. Then the two teens returned to Satoshi; he noticed the stern teacher giving his two students a cross look.

"Tell him it's true, Hiwatari...!" Sayo demanded to the bespectacled boy in a slightly impatient tone. Satoshi turned his attention to Daisuke and nodded silently. Sayo smiled triumphantly and placed her hands on her hips. "Told you, Niwa! Hiwatari really _does_ know the same ritual thingie we're doing! We can get his help on it, too!"

"That's true, but..." Daisuke trailed off, his large red eyes uncertain about, Satoshi assumed, possibly using the Hikari and putting the unknown risks onto him. Sayo seemed to understand what the younger male was nervous about and gave him a gentle smile, an edge of reluctance to it.

"I know this whole thing is still uncertain, but you said yourself that it's the only way to fix everything, Niwa," she told him, placing a hand to his shoulder. That simple gesture brought a pang of emotion over the genius. Krad stirred inside him and quickly, he forced the emotions away, creating a barrier inside his mind just in case the blond curse tried to see what was causing such strife within his host. But it didn't mean he could push aside the slight jealousy he felt that Daisuke was now the center of Sayo's affections, even if neither of them were aware of it.

Meanwhile, just as Daisuke was about to say something, the gruff teacher barked out to him and Sayo to return at once to their seats to start class. Flinching at the harsh tone of the man's voice, Sayo scowled but rolled her eyes, turning around to walk back to her seat. Daisuke did the same and Satoshi began to raise his hand in farewell to the two, but not before Sayo looked at him.

"If it's alright with both of you, I think Hiwatari should come over to your house after school so that we can all talk about the ritual in greater detail," Sayo suggested, glancing between both Tamers; they glanced at each other silently- Daisuke seeing if the Commander was fine with it and Satoshi unsure if he should be going to his ancestors' family enemy, especially when he was betraying them in the first place. He could imagine Krad finding out and going absolutely bat-shit on everyone involved- which would include Sayo, and he couldn't have that. But this ritual was something that he knew must be done, hearing about Amber's near attack on Daisuke, and so, nodded his head after a long moment.

"I'm willing to do so, as long as Niwa and _his_ family allow me over," Satoshi agreed, looking over to Sayo, who smiled slightly in relief. She glanced over at Daisuke, who was in deep thought over it.

"Niwa! Aisaka! Get in your seats _now_ or you stay after school washing this room from ceiling to floor!" Kaseda barked out, sounding angrier at the two than before. Flinching again, Sayo gave Satoshi an apologetic grin and waved before spinning on her heel and jogging back to her seat. Daisuke gave the older teen a quick nod before waving as well.

"I don't see any problem with having you over, Hiwatari," he said hastily, not wishing to get in more trouble with the teacher than he already was. "Meet us out front after school!" he added before he returned to his desk and Satoshi was promptly kicked away from the door, commanded to go back to his own class. As he did, his thoughts were once again jumbled with how to go about explaining the ritual.

What he recalled from the text the previous night, was that all three of them -Sayo, Daisuke and himself- would face great pain since their other halves would be extracted from their bodies. He knew _he_ could handle the pain after everything he'd been through with Krad, but it was Daisuke and Sayo he worried about. Daisuke could probably endure it long enough for the spell to be cast, since he had training daily and he had to endure Dark's changes, but what of Sayo? Considering how little she knew about the true origin of The Black Wings and Amber, she didn't have the strength to handle all that grief from Amber being extracted from her soul. How would she handle that suffering? Because of her lack of expertise- compared to himself and Daisuke, anyway- there was a greater chance of her losing her life...

The thought of Sayo dying made another pain in his chest and it caused yet another stirring from Krad, who sensed the leap of emotion from his master. Satoshi quickly blanked his mind so that the devil couldn't tell what he was thinking about. And yet, it was the devil himself that made the Commander know exactly what to do.

For Sayo's sake- and his own- he _knew_ he could go through with the ritual. He'd see to it that Sayo didn't die.


	26. Chapter 26

Even though she didn't want to, Sayo couldn't help but think that the ritual would go well, now that Satoshi was helping them. A smile was plastered on her face while she, Daisuke and the Harada twins were busy making some kind of curry and rice meal, the lesson having something to do with learning how to measure dry ingredients properly. The girls noticed the smile; Daisuke on the other hand, was completely oblivious, paying more attention to his task of chopping the meat for the curry mix. Risa grinned her sly smile and leaned toward Sayo, ignoring her duty of watching the boiling water.

"So... why the smile, Miss Aisaka?" the girly twin giggled quietly as to not attract the teacher or Daisuke's attention. Startled, Sayo nearly sliced her finger on the vegetable peeler and brought her eyes to the brown eyes of the younger sister, blinking. "You've been smiling ever since you and Niwa came back from talking with Hiwatari at the start of class," Risa went on, speaking as she turned to stir the water, even though there was no pint. "Could it be that you've still got a crush on him?"

At the mention of the redhead, Sayo couldn't help but remember Saehara's own words from earlier that day, and her face went as red as the element the pots were on. She feverishly shook her head and fixed her focus to her peeling, trying and hoping she looked casual instead of embarrassed as hell.

"N-no...!" the female Tamer stammered out nervously, "H-how could you think that I-I like Niwa like that? H-he's just a good friend, i-is all!" She continued peeling the carrot in her hand, more than she needed, and avoided looking at the Harada's, who were now staring at her with wide, confused eyes.

"Who said anything about _Niwa_?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow, "Risa meant Hiwatari." She paused, eyes widening in shock and she gasped lightly. "Wait, do you mean that you like _both_ Hiwatari _and_ Niwa now?" she exclaimed, eliciting a darker face on Sayo and another feverish shake of her head, nearly dropping the carrot to the floor. Risa gasped with her sister, giving the raven-haired teen a dismayed look.

"No way!" Risa added, a hand hovering over her mouth, "Miss Aisaka, are you two-timing Niwa and Hiwatari with your feelings? Do they know any of this?" She glanced over to her older twin, sharing a brief look of surprise, then turned back to Sayo, who was slowly becoming more and more agitated about it all. "How bold of you... I wonder how Hiwatari will take it," she said as an afterthought.

"For crying out loud, I'm not two-timing _any_one!" Sayo exclaimed finally, slamming the carrot and peeler onto the counter hard enough to catch Daisuke's and a few students around their table's attention. He blinked at her, seeing the aggravated twitch of her eyebrow and the wide-eyed looks on the Harada twins.

"Uh," Daisuke said, glancing between all three girls, "Is something the matter? Miss Aisaka?" Sayo shook her head wordlessly and when the redhead turned to the twins, they only shook their heads as well, looking as though refusing to tell him a secret. After a moment of debate on what to do or say, he sighed deeply and gave them all a weak smile. "Well... Alright, if you say so," was all he said before returning to chopping the last of the meat.

Once his attention was elsewhere, Risa began to prod Sayo more about what she'd said. Riku said nothing, but could tell that the amber-eyed girl was getting annoyed by the gossip. "So, do you mean that you chose one of them?" Risa asked, a smile on her face. The long-haired girl could _never_ resist a good piece of gossip on the relationships around the school. "Who did you decide on? How did the other take it?"

Sayo growled, though a small part of her welcomed the chatter with relief. It made her feel less like a freak, like she _didn't_ have some psychotic spirit of her ancestor in her genes that wanted to kill her friends, and more like a normal fourteen year old girl who was talking about normal teen girl issues. But still- She was not two-timing anyone, dammit! She didn't even know how she felt about Daisuke anymore, let alone who she had supposedly _picked_!

"Risa..." Sayo ground out, trying to keep her annoyed tone in check as she tightly gripped the handle of the veggie peeler. "I'm only going to say this once, so you'd better listen close..." When she knew the brunette twin was doing just that, Sayo raised her eyes to her and looked her straight in the eyes. "I truly and honestly can't understand how you can talk about this sort of thing..." She paused, her original thought trailing off when she noticed the wooden spoon she was holding was beginning to smoke from being placed on the element accidently. "When you're allowing the spoon to catch fire," Sayo finished, hiding an amused grin once the younger Harada yelped and quickly dunked the burning wood into the pot of water, sizzling lifelessly. Chuckling a bit, she finished peeling the other vegetables and soon, the meals were done in the class.

Sitting at their table and nibbling on the slightly burnt rice and perfect meat mixture, Sayo found herself looking every few seconds over to Daisuke, who was once again oblivious to her looks and chatting happily with the twins. She inwardly sighed, hanging her head slightly in self-defeat. She went over both Saehara's words and Risa's words and wondered just how obvious Daisuke's feelings for her and visa versa was to everyone else. She never noticed anything from him before; she always thought he was naturally kind and sweet and totally selfless. Was he just that way because he liked her, then? Shaking her head at that thought, Sayo scoffed to herself. Of course not. Daisuke _was_ naturally that way; it had nothing to do with his supposed feelings for her.

Glancing over to him again, Sayo wondered how _she_ felt for him in return. She knew that she really liked being around him and always found how he reacted to whatever Dark said to him through their bond funny and cute. But did that mean she liked him? She really didn't know, and that only made her more confused about her true feelings. The previous riddle that the woman in her dreams came to mind: The one she needed was right in front of her. Thinking about it more, it really _did_ seem as though that was Daisuke. Since they were always around each other now, he really was the one in front of her. So, according to that woman and what everyone else seemed to think...

Maybe Sayo really had feelings for Daisuke but never realized it until now.

He certainly did have a charming quality to him that she couldn't help but always smile about. And he understood her dilemma with Amber well even though _his_ other half wasn't out to kill him or anything. Sure, she had a good time with Satoshi, but she always felt so nervous and a bit awkward around him, while with Daisuke, she was herself and they had a blast together, even if it was just playing cards or simply doing homework. And wasn't that the best way to have a relationship? Being yourself and not worrying about offending the other?

"...aka? Miss Aisaka, hello?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sayo blinked back to focus to see Daisuke and the twins looking at her with mild concern. She blinked again, chopsticks still in her mouth, brilliantly staring back.

"Ungh?" she mumbled out between her rice. Swallowing it and laying her utensils down, she raised her eyebrows with curiosity. "What? Did I miss something?" she asked, glancing between each face looking at her. Riku was giving the Tamer a strange look while Risa's was more observant and almost triumphant, as though she knew exactly what Sayo was thinking about. Daisuke only seemed concerned for her, red doe eyes reflecting his and Dark's worry. "What?" Sayo repeated, more confused.

"You looked awfully caught up in something," Risa said, her tone evident of knowing just what the raven-haired girl was thinking, the know-it-all smile growing on her face. Sayo's face grew hotter, glad that a blush hadn't formed on her cheeks this time in front of Daisuke, and turned her head haughtily, closing her eyes.

"Of _course_ not," Sayo lied firmly, "At least, not how you think, Risa. I was only thinking about what my plans are for after school," she added in case the girly Harada was going to ask for a different excuse. Risa's smile only grew slyer, as she leaned over the table to the other girl.

"_Oh_?" she drew out suspiciously, causing a darker flush to appear on Sayo's cheeks. Riku finally piped in and sighed heavily, tugging her sister back by her shirt collar. Risa let out an undignified yelp, practically falling off her seat when she landed back.

"Leave her be, Risa," Riku scolded her sister, who pouted but did as Riku said. Then the tomboy smiled at Sayo and took a bite of her rice, allowing the female Tamer to relax and know that she wasn't going to be bombarded by relentless questions for the rest of class.

"We were all just talking about hopefully getting together once winter break starts to hang out before Christmas," Riku told Sayo, who blinked thoughtfully at that. "Risa and I aren't doing anything- my lacrosse team's members are going away this year, so we're practicing once we all get back in town," she added as explanation. Sayo glanced over to Daisuke, who smiled gently.

"I don't have anything planned as far as I know," he included as though she was asking him about the heists. After a moment of thought, Sayo finally nodded.

"Alright... That sounds fine to me," she replied to them, a smile slowly forming on her lips at the idea of spending time with her friends and Daisuke. Smiles appeared on everyone else's faces and soon, it was time for the class to clean up before the bell rang. Washing the dishes with Daisuke, Sayo leaned over to the redhead, away from Riku and Risa's ears. He perked when he noticed their close proximity, looking at her.

"Are we still going to have Hiwatari to your place after school?" the girl asked quietly, not wanting to alert the twins. Daisuke nodded and gave her a reassuring smile, passing her another pot to rinse off.

"Yup. I made sure to keep later tonight open for it, don't worry," he told her just as quietly as she passed the rinsed off pot to Risa to dry. She smiled in relief and her thoughts went to what had to be talked about. She figured it'd be best to see what was added to what Satoshi knew compared to their knowledge, then plan how to get everything set and what they needed, if anything. She'd never done anything like this before, so she was a bit nervous that something might go haywire and someone would get hurt.

"Dark said for you to not feel bad about anything," Daisuke said suddenly, bringing Sayo's attention to the present, staring over to the redheaded Tamer. He was smiling gently at her and for a moment, could see what everyone meant when they said that Daisuke liked her. Sayo smiled back and shook her head, taking a moment to take his hand in hers and squeeze gently, pretending not to notice the faint pink forming on his cheeks.

"I don't anymore," she told him softly, "I mean, I always will, but as long as Dark's fine with it, then so am I. This has to be done and there's no two ways around it. Tell him thank you, though, for still worrying about me."

Daisuke nodded and they returned to their last task in class before leaving school. With the bell gone minutes later, Daisuke and Sayo walked to the front of the school where they were supposed to be meeting Satoshi. They were mildly surprised to see the calm-faced teen already standing on the steps and both smiled at him. Wordlessly, all three began heading toward Daisuke's home, thoughts going through each of their heads. But halfway, snow began to drift noiselessly and when the first flake hit Satoshi's nose and he flinched at the sudden coldness, he stopped to stare up into the white, cloudy sky.

The others stopped as well and Daisuke smiled a bit, gazing up into the sky with the blue-haired teen. "That's right," he said quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment of the snow, "I almost forget about snow. Christmas is coming up in a few weeks, too." He paused but Sayo spoke his next thought, her tone soft and sadly hopeful.

"I wonder if we'd all be able to celebrate it this year, considering we have this ritual to do."

Daisuke looked over to her, pasting a cheerful smile to his face for her sake. "Of course we will! And you're more than welcome to join us, too, Miss Aisaka," he told her with a confident nod. Sayo smiled a bit more at the redhead but the moment was quickly broken up by Satoshi continuing on, forgetting about the winter weather that was now beginning to fall faster to the ground.

"I suggest we get this done quickly," the Commander said without looking back to the teens, who nodded in agreement and caught up to the Hikari.

* * *

"Satoshi Hikari? What is _he_ doing here?"

This was the first thing that the three students were greeted with when they all came through the door to Daisuke's home. Startled by his mother's sudden glare at his older friend, Daisuke stared at the woman then to Satoshi, who looked back blandly, as though having expected that reaction from the biological Niwa member. Sayo removed her shoes and stepped further into the house, gesturing to Emiko to calm down.

"He's here because he wants to help us with the ritual, Mrs. Niwa," she explained meekly, not wanting a fight to break out. She had learned just how intense Emiko's hatred of the Hikari family was and knowing that Satoshi was the last member of said family didn't make it any better. She only hoped that the mother would understand and control her rage long enough to get his help on something he probably and hopefully knew more about.

"Help us, hah!" Emiko exclaimed, crossing her arms and turning angrily away. "He'll probably make us _believe_ he's helping us, and then somehow turn the ritual into some kind of summoning circle! The Hikaris are all the same!"

"That's not true!" both Daisuke and Sayo exclaimed back, startled at their unison, but kept firm on their words.

"Hiwatari would _never_ do something like that, Mom! He really _does_ want to help us; you have to trust us on this!" Daisuke told his mother, leading the Hikari teen into the house more, much to Emiko's silent fury. Satoshi continued to appear uninterested in what was being said about him and his family.

"Emiko, why don't you at least hear him out?" Kosuke told his wife gently, giving her a slight smile, which, as expected, calmed her a bit. She sighed deeply and nodded, turning back to look at Satoshi; he blinked back, no sign of how he felt on his face or in his icy eyes.

"Alright, but if you do or say _one_ thing wrong, you're out the door. Do you understand, Hikari?" she groused, receiving a silent nod in reply. Daisuke and Sayo shared a happy smile and the group shuffled into the living room, ready to hear what the Commander had to say about the text he'd read. "Okay, so start with what you found," she told him; he nodded and closed his eyes lightly.

"A ritual my ancestors wrote about that makes it possible to remove Amber from Miss Aisaka. In order for that to work, however, the two parts of The Black Wings are necessary; to complete the experiment that they had attempted centuries ago but failed." He paused, opening his eyes to fixate his stare on the floor in front of him. Then he went on, his voice quieter now. "I read on, hoping to find further information on the subject, but there was nothing of particular interest." He paused once more, raising his iced hues to Emiko, who stiffened at such eye contact. "But if you need it, the text contained the sealing ritual and circle runes in order to perform the ceremony. I'll give Niwa a copy of it tomorrow at school, which he can then pass along to you for further inspection, if you don't trust me," he added, hinting at Emiko's underlying dislike of him.

She thought for a moment then glanced over at her son and husband, nodding. "Alright. We'll be counting on that, Hikari," she told him, tone stiff and polite. "How long does it take to prepare it, though?" she asked; Satoshi blinked, thinking for a second.

"It shouldn't take any longer than three days. You have to draw the runes properly or else the spell itself won't work and they're fairly complicated; even _I_ can barely manage to draw them with pencil and paper, let alone how it should be drawn. But I'm sure Mr. Niwa can find some way to do it," he said, glancing over to Kosuke with just a _hint_ of a confident smile. Kosuke blinked but understood Satoshi's words, nodding.

"Get them to me as soon as possible and I'll do my best," the black-haired male said solemnly. Sayo and Daisuke smiled more together, glad at how well the whole thing was working out. But then, suddenly, Sayo lurched forward, grabbing at her head in pain just as Satoshi simultaneously grabbed at his chest, groaning in the same manner. Gasping, Daisuke went between both of his friends, glancing between both of them in fear.

"H-Hiwatari! M-Miss Aisaka! What's wrong?" Daisuke stammered, unsure of what to do. His father gently pulled him away from the two teens, kneeling where his son had. "Dad, what's wrong with them?" Daisuke exclaimed, watching the black-haired man quickly and carefully look at both teens, who were still holding themselves in pain and groaning.

Finally, Kosuke stood and helped Satoshi to his feet; for once, the Hikari didn't refuse the help, the pain too unbearable for him to push away the hands on his shoulders. "Daisuke, take Hikari to your room. I have an idea of what's wrong, but I won't know fully until he and Sayo are apart from each other," he told the redhead, who quickly nodded and took Satoshi from him, carefully helping the glasses-wearing teen toward his bedroom upstairs. Meanwhile, Kosuke allowed Sayo to lay on the couch, kneeling beside her with Emiko and Daiki around him.

"What's the matter, Kosuke?" Emiko asked quietly, watching the girl writhe in pain and tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Should I get some damp cloths for her forehead?"

"I'm afraid she'll need more than that to fix the problem she has right now," the married Niwa said, shaking his head a bit. "Amber has that strange obsession with Krad, remember? It seems that Amber is trying to come out when she knows that Krad is around, even if that means causing Sayo pain; just like Krad does to Hikari."

"Then why was _he_ in pain as well?" Emiko asked, tone light with surprise and confusion. Kosuke crossed his arms, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Just as Amber is trying to release herself from Sayo's soul, Krad is doing the same with Hikari. Or so I assume, from how they reacted around each other. Either way, at this point, I don't think it wise to let him and Sayo around each other for a long period of time, even just five minutes." He sighed heavily and softly. "This removal and sealing ceremony has to be done quickly, or else both of them will be harmed in more ways than can be healed."


	27. Chapter 27

**So yeah! I've finally got the whole story written, now is just the matter of uploading it all xD I had a bit of a hiccup with the chapters yesterday, but I got it all fixed! :D Huzzah and all that, haha. For those still reading this, I hope you enjoyed the ride as it starts coming to a close (remember, it's ending in Chapter 30!) but don't fret as I have other anime stories on the way! Fruits Basket, anyone? :D**

**Anyway, I'll stop yakking now, but read and review, please! Reviews are my crack! Cheaper and a lot healthier for me, too!**

* * *

"Hiwatari, are you alright? Do you need anything?" Daisuke asked on and on, leading the Hikari teen to the couch in his room, making sure to be careful with his body. The older boy jerked his head from side to side, still panting and hissing under his breath from the pain he was in. Daisuke frowned, wishing he could do something to help ease it, but knew that he probably couldn't.

_"I felt it..."_ Dark said quietly, his words low and firm, bringing his Tamer's attention to him, _"Downstairs, I felt a tug toward both Sayo and Hiwatari... like something was calling out for me to take over your body. I'm not sure why, but I'm positive it has to do with the connection we all have with each other. I can't understand what it could be otherwise."_

_ 'Do you mean that Miss Amber and Krad were trying to do the same thing as you felt like you had to do?'_ Daisuke asked in a gasp, still confused about everything but understanding the tugging sensation he'd felt earlier when Sayo and Satoshi had doubled over in their pain. The redhead felt Dark nod silently through their bond and the teen watched Satoshi, worry in his chest.

"N-Niwa..." Satoshi panted out, his stammer half muffled by the cushion his head was resting on. Daisuke perked, kneeling beside the couch, waiting for him to continue speaking.

"What is it, Hiwatari?"

Shakily, the blue-haired boy reached into one of his pants pockets and removed a single key on a chain, holding it out to the younger male. Looking at it curiously, Daisuke took the key and then glanced at Satoshi again, hoping he'd explain the use for the key.

"T-that's... that's the key to my apartment..." the commander explained between grunts of pain and hisses, clearly trying to keep Krad at bay inside his body. Once in a while, Daisuke could see a very quick flash of maniacal gold through his icy eyes. "I-I'm obviously in no condition to go myself, s-so... I-I want you to... To go there and get t-the book that has e-everything you and your family need to know..." He stopped for a moment, curling in himself as he gripped both his shirt and the cushion tightly, almost convulsing in agony. Daisuke gasped, shooting to his feet in panic. But then Satoshi calmed down a bit and went on.

"T-the book... i-is on the kitchen counter; plain sight, you can't miss it. I-it's the only book in the room. It's already o-open to the page your parents will need..." He gasped heavily, too worn out to talk any longer. Torn as to what to do, Daisuke stood in his spot, staring at his friend who was in terrible pain from the blond curse of his ancestors.

_"Idiot, he wants you to go to his place and grab the book that'll save him and Sayo!"_ Dark said irritably, annoyed at his Tamer's lack of brilliance at the moment. Gripping the key tightly, Daisuke still felt torn.

_'But, Dark...'_ Daisuke trailed off, unable to voice the strange feeling of being in his family's enemy's house. It felt both like a test of if Satoshi could trust the redhead and a simple task to do. But which was it?

_"Think about the moral dilemma later; right now, you've gotta get the book so Sayo and Hiwatari can get better!"_ Dark snapped, forcing Daisuke to nod and take one last look at Satoshi before rushing down the stairs; before he left, he got his father to take care of Satoshi, knowing that Emiko would downright refuse to do it and Daiki wouldn't want to leave his daughter.

* * *

'I-it hurts... So much... why does it have to hurt like this...?'

_"He told me to... He'd love me if I did- you know what that's like, right...?"_

'W-what...? Amber, what are you talking about? _Who_ are you talking about? Do you mean Krad?'

_"If I don't do this, he'll never love me...! I-I love him so much...! You have to understand that feeling! Forgive me- _please_!"_

Surrounded by nothing but darkness, Sayo couldn't see what was around her; could only hear Amber's voice echoing in her ears and all over the place, sounding desperate and helpless and guilty. She tried to open her eyes, to figure out what was going on, but realized that her eyes _were_ open; she was either just blind or in a dream-state, just without the nameless woman. Sayo went to the left, stopped; went to the right, met nothing but air. There didn't seem to be any kind of exit or escape from the darkness and it slowly began to frighten the girl.

_"It has to be done...! He promised me endless love if I fulfilled his one wish...! Can't you believe me about this?"_ Amber shouted, the echo of her voice making Sayo cringe and drop to her knees, covering her ears.

'Amber, stop it! Krad is only using you! He won't _ever_ love you!' Sayo tried to argue to the older spirit, but it didn't seem to work as she heard the woman let out a mournful cry, despair and anguish clear as a bell. Nothing would make Amber calm down, Sayo realized, other than Krad or something like him. But she refused to allow that white bastard anywhere near her! He was the cause of Amber's grief and even though she annoyed the crap out of Sayo most of the time, she still hadn't done anything as wrong or terrible as Krad- other than murdering Sayo's parents, but that was also because of Krad.

Sayo could tell- she didn't know how or why, but she had a feeling that Krad was behind the reason Amber had blacked her out, took over her body and mercilessly killed her parents. Every wrong thing Amber did was because of Krad; he had told her to do it to gain his love, just as she had said when she attacked Daisuke weeks ago. Even though the Aisaka spirit thought he truly would love her after doing what he asked of her, Sayo knew better. He would just kill her when she'd done his bidding with no remorse for their actions.

Suddenly, the darkness shattered away, bringing Sayo into blinding bright light. She winced at how bright it seemed now, but also felt something was wrong. Finally managing to open ehr eyes without it hurting too much, the Tamer found herself being held painfully close to someone wearing white archaic clothing. She knew of only one person who wore that type of outfit and when she looked up, she saw that devilishly cruel smirk on his face, golden eyes reflecting nothing but evil amusement.

"You're finally awake, I see," Krad cackled, his long blond hair flapping in the wind as he glided through the dusky light of the city. Sayo struggled to push away from him, but he merely crushed her back into his chest, rumbling with a chuckle under his breath. "I would not suggest trying to escape, Sayo Aisaka, unless you wish to drop thousands of feet to the ground below and die a painful death," he told her, sounding delighted at the prospect. Instantly, though, Sayo stilled, not wanting to die so soon.

"W-where are you bringing me?" Sayo demanded over the rushing sound of the wind between them. Krad kept his hard eyes ahead of him, but she saw the smirk widen on his face. "W-why are you smiling like that? Where are we going? L-let me down, you asshole! And let Hiwatari back, while you're at it! That body doesn't belong to you!" She began smacking her fists against Krad's chest, which made him scowl in irritation and send her a glare; she stopped and gulped with fear, assuming it would be a bad idea to further anger this prick.

"Pathetic mortals like yourselves shouldn't interfere with the complexities of those higher than you," Krad hissed out, his grip around her waist loosening drastically. She felt herself drop from him, her instincts telling her grab onto him for safety, but the rest of her mind and body refused to hold the evil angel. As quickly as he had left go, he had grabbed her again, the smirk back on his face. "I know what your plan is, Sayo Aisaka, and I will not allow it to bear fruition. Amber has caused me nothing but grief and I must fix this at once."

"What are you going to do?" Sayo exclaimed, mind buzzing with horrendous ideas of what he might do. But Krad shook his head.

"I will not reveal my plans to the likes of _you_, wench," he snapped in her face, causing her to pull back and cringe at how close his face was to hers. It was disgusting. Finally, he started to fly down toward the ground, which Sayo was grateful for. The sooner she got away from Krad's dirty, vile hands, the better. But then her mind began racing with things that he might do to her, bringing a wave of fear to crash into her heart hard. She shook her head feverishly, refusing to think that.

'Niwa will save me,' she told herself firmly, confident of how true that had to be. 'Or Dark. O-one of them, I know it!'

Her thoughts were broken the instant she felt a hard impact on her backside, however, and she yelped in pain, groaning as she rubbed the bottom of her back, wincing at the pain shooting up her spine now. She glared up at Krad, who now stood in front of her like a menacing angel of death, white wings spread out behind him like some kind of impending background of doom. Sayo did _not_ like the looks of this at all.

"W-what are you going to do to me?" Sayo shouted at Krad angrily, determined to hide her fear for the time being. She sat up a bit more, noticing the strange and jagged shapes drawn into the dirt in a circle all around her. Like runes to a ritual. Her heart raced more with fright, realizing a bit more of what Krad's intentions were. "Y-you're going to kill me and Amber, aren't you? A-and use her power for yourself!" she shouted, taking an educated guess.

"Very clever of you to figure out; and here I thought Master Satoshi had fallen for a stupid mortal. You would have had potential, but soon, you will be gone and you and Amber's powers will be _mine_," Krad told her, his tone growing more and more crazed just as Amber's had weeks ago. He stepped closer to the white-chalked circle. "Say your last good byes, Sayo Aisaka. It's too bad you won't see your precious friends before I kill you. But life's not fair to anyone, so you'll ahve to just suffer!"

And with that, Krad reached out and struck Sayo straight in the face, making her tumble back and struggle to keep conscious before blacking out, groaning softly.

* * *

Daisuke's hold on the large, yellowed book loosened when he came home to see his family panicked and angered. After placing the Hikari book carefully and safely onto a table nearby, he tried to calm Towa, who had transformed into her original bird form and started flapping around in a panic. Emiko was pacing back and forth, book in hand as she grumbled and muttered harshly under her breath to herself and the other Niwa males could only stand around helplessly.

"W-what do you mean Hiwatari and Miss Aisaka are gone?" Daisuke exclaimed, fear for his friend and the one he cared about filling his veins. Towa continued to fly around, trying to not crash into the walls or things around on tables.

"Just that, Master Daisuke!" The guide told him, even more fearful than the redhead, if that was possible. "We heard a commotion upstairs in your room and when we went to see what had happened, Hiwatari was gone and we heard Miss Sayo scream down here!" She whimpered, landing on Daisuke's head as she worried some more. "And then Miss Sayo was gone as well! Krad must have taken control of Hiwatari's body and taken her somewhere! Oooh, I'm terribly sorry, Master Daisuke! We never meant for any of this to happen!"

"I-it's going to be okay, Towa; don't worry too much!" Daisuke tried to assure the Hikari art, though couldn't help but feel a bit panicked himself. If Krad took Sayo, who knew where they were right now, or what he was going to do!

_"Daisuke, I know where they are; change into me _quickly_!" _Dark said suddenly, and after a brief moment of confusion, allowed the amethyst-haired Thief to emerge, With hopping onto his shoulder so he could turn into his master's black wings. Emiko watched him head toward the door.

"Dark, where are you going?" she called out; he paused long enough to look behind his shoulder to the woman and give her a confident smirk.

"I'm going to bring your son's Sacred Maiden back home. Wait for me here," he told her, then flew off into the darkened sky, the sound of his wings in the wind the only sound of his departure. Emiko watched after him, hand clutched tightly at her chest, eyes worried for both Sayo and her son. Kosuke stepped behind her, laying his hands on her shoulders gently.

"Don't worry too much," he told her quietly, watching the sky as well, "Dark will get them all back safely, for sure. When has he ever steered us wrong?"

Emiko nodded slightly, still unable to contain her fear for how quickly everything had developed. No one had expected anything to happen this fast and it frightened her so much. They normally had enough time to do _some_thing about the situation, but not this time... All she could do at this point was hope Dark and Daisuke knew what they were doing.


	28. Chapter 28

Dark flew through the night air, wings hard at work to get where the tugging sensation was leading him, before Sayo got any more hurt than she probably already was. Both the Phantom and his other half were deadly silent, too anxious and on edge to say anything other than the spare word here and there about how far away from the city they were getting. Dark could feel Daisuke's fear quite easily and understood it just as well. He was just as nervous about rescuing Sayo from whatever it was Krad was trying to do that involved her, hoping against everything that the young girl was actually unharmed; though, being taken by Krad, that chance wasn't as high as the Thief hoped.

_'Dark, how much longer until we reach them?'_ Daisuke asked, apprehension in his voice. It was enough to make the older teen frown slightly with sympathy. He knew how worried the redhead was over Sayo; how much he wanted to keep her safe. His host cared so much for the girl and having this happen only made his feelings stronger, which was something Dark could relate to. _'Dark?'_

"Not too much farther now," the purple-eyed spirit replied, scanning the land below for something that would tip him off to Krad's whereabouts and the eventual release of that amber-eyed girl both Niwa cared for. But nothing was out of the ordinary; just a town that was beginning to fall asleep and humans who had work late night. Nothing that helped Dark find the white curse and the female Tamer.

_'How did this happen...?'_ Daisuke whispered, his voice quiet with fear and remorse. Dark merely listened, focused more on the search. _'Miss Aisaka and Hiwatari had been close together earlier today in last period. Why didn't this happen _then_? Not that I wanted this to happen at all, but still. It doesn't make much sense, Dark. Why _now_?'_

"Amber and Krad had probably been asleep when she and Hiwatari were talking earlier," Dark explained distractedly, "When we're asleep, we don't exactly notice much stuff, like if another one of ourselves are nearby. That's why it didn't happen until you all started talking about the ritual. The talk must've woken Krad up, making Amber wake up, and then all of this fell into place."

Daisuke was silent for a long moment, mulling over his other half's words in his mind before speaking up again. _'Well, when we _do_ find Miss Aisaka and Krad, how are we going to save her? The only way was to perform the ritual and we don't know _any_ of it,'_ he mentioned, sounding discouraged. _'We hadn't had any time to look through the book that Hiwatari had found the information in.'_

Dark couldn't help but chuckle under his breath, for once being able to do something right in this strange day. "Ah, that's what you think, Daisuke," the Thief said, causing the redhead to fall silent in confusion through their bond. "I managed to read enough before you closed the book. I remember what it said."

_'But even so, whatever Krad is going to try to do to Miss Aisaka, it won't have the rune drawings that're needed for the ceremony!'_ Daisuke protested, beginning to sound desperate. Dark grunted quietly under his breath, knowing how true his hosts' words were.

"I'll think of something; don't worry, Daisuke. I'll save Sayo and you two can spend Christmas together," he promised softly, hoping his own words sounded as confident as he meant them to be.

Suddenly, Dark noticed a dull white light coming from a patch of land far below him and two figures around it, one winged and the other laying still inside the circle of light. It was clearly Krad, ready to do something to Sayo as she was helpless inside it. Dark growled under his breath, narrowing his wings so that he could rush downward faster, prepared for battle against his counterpart curse.

* * *

She could hear a male voice, muttering under his breath as footsteps circled around her. Sayo tried to open her eyes, but was unable to, as though some kind of spell was set on her so she remained blinded to what Krad was doing. The blond devil continued walking around and muttering to himself and while she felt a heaviness in her chest, the girl sensed a feeling coming from her very soul that was growing familiar. It wasn't the sensation of Amber taking over her body, but from another certain woman whose name still eluded Sayo; the same woman who seemed so very familiar and always gave Sayo ridiculous riddles that she couldn't solve for anything.

In the darkness around her, Sayo saw a shining light appear in her mind and a figure materialize before her. It was the woman she had first seen in her dreams, speaking strange words that were supposed to help Sayo with her life. The black-haired woman fully formed in front of the girl and her dark amber eyes shone fondly to the Tamer, a gentle smile on her fair lips.

"Sayo Aisaka... You are in peril, but have no fear," the woman said, her ethereal voice echoing in the emptiness. Sayo still couldn't speak, so she merely listened to the other form. "Victory will come to those who have the right means, Sayo. I wish nothing more than for your survival from this danger." She paused, raising her head up as though hearing something that Sayo hadn't. "Not much longer now... But there is one thing you _must_ do before anything good can come out of it." She turned her full attention back to the younger girl, her eyes and voice sounding slightly more desperate now. At that point, however, Sayo felt a pang of sharpness near her heart; it seemed whatever Krad was doing, it had to do with her heart or soul. Perhaps he was aiming at bringing out Amber...

The woman took a step forward, her gentle expression hiding her panic. "Sayo, you _must_ call out to him. Call out to the one who holds your heart! Once he hears your cry of help, he will be able to properly vanquish the source of evil!" She hesitated to continue, but did after a beat. "You must call out to him, Sayo... Otherwise, neither of you will leave this ceremony the way you both intend to."

Wondering who the woman was talking about, Sayo suddenly made out the faint sound of flapping wings, like a bird or a certain Phantom Thief who had found out about her kidnap. Just knowing that Dark was on his way to save her made the raven-headed girl feel strength return to her, whether it was from joy of the fact that she'd be rescued or knowing that it was Dark who was risking his life for her, she wasn't sure. She only knew that she found herself able to finally open her eyes. Still struggling to sit up even the smallest bit, Sayo caught sight of Krad, who had paused in front of her, back to the black figure in the sky heading toward them. He hadn't noticed that she could see him or paying attention to the moment she was slowly sitting up, grunting from the effort of the weight still pressing to her body.

Sayo raised her head to the night sky, eyes fixated on the figure that was getting closer with each passing second. She inhaled to shout out his name, but hesitated for a moment. She could only picture Daisuke from times since she met him at school; smiling brightly at her, laughing with her over things, the serious look in his ruby eyes that made him appear more mature than he should for his age... She thought about the words Saehara and Risa spoke earlier that day as well, how she and Daisuke seemed to like each other; she thought how she never really understood how she felt for the redheaded boy before, but _now_...

Now Sayo knew her true feelings for good.

She shifted slightly so she was leaning forward, her arms being the only limbs that could support her properly at the moment. A blast of pain shot through her body but enduring it, she managed to groan and raise her head to the sky, hoping her voice would be loud and strong enough to reach the boy's ears.

"_Daiiiisuuukeeeee!_"

* * *

A throbbing beat of surprise tingled through Dark's body and for a very brief split second, it felt as though Daisuke had control of his body again, but then it disappeared and both Niwa and black curse heard Sayo's voice, shrill and calling for Daisuke. The redhead looked toward where Krad and Sayo were, gaining distance on the white Hikari curse quickly, faster than he'd thought, and saw the girl staring up at him.

_'Did-'_ Daisuke stammered, his face going dark red despite the grave situation they were all in, _'Did Miss Aisaka just say what I _think_ she just called me?'_

Dark smirked with understanding at his host's embarrassed declaration. He forced With to bring him closer to Krad even faster. _"That's right, Daisuke,"_ he told his other half through the bond, _"It seems that Sayo shares the feelings for you as you do for her. I'll beat Krad for sure! I'll protect that feeling of yours!"_

And with that, Dark finally reached the ground on which Krad was attempting to create runes for a ritual around Sayo, his instincts switching to fierce battle mode instantly. "_Kraaaaaad!_" he shouted in a growl, watching the blond devil spin around in angry shock, hard gold widening at the sight of his other half, just in time to be tackled to the ground by the waist. Thanks to his quick reflexes, Krad managed to avoid landing on his back, twisting them both around until it was almost impossible to tell which man was which, from how much they tumbled together and moved back and forth. Sayo watched, growing tired from trying to support herself up, and gasped when Krad finally landed a hard kick to Dark's stomach, the Phantom Thief grunting from the sudden attack and stumbling backward.

"D-Dark...!" Sayo cried out weakly, feeling herself daze between blacking out and staying conscious; the amethyst-haired man glanced behind his shoulder to the girl, flashing her a confident and almost cocky smirk.

"Don't worry, princess. Krad's not going to be able to do _anything_ to you now. Just stay there and everything will be fine," he assured her, tone casual and like the triumphant Thief she knew from the past. Nodding wordlessly, Sayo continued watching, Dark zipping back toward his blond half after slipping a long black feather from within his outfit. Even though Krad was no longer starting his circle for removing Amber from Sayo's body for the powers the female Phantom had, the Tamer could still feel the occasional surge of painful power, centered around her heart; Amber was stirring deep inside her chest and Sayo knew that the older spirit would soon escape, either with her own body or controlling Sayo's own body for herself.

Whatever happened, Sayo knew that she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer, no matter how confident and sure she was of Daisuke saving her in the end.


	29. Chapter 29

**Okaaaaaay! So, this is possibly the _longest_ chapter I've ever written for any story of mine xD I have a weird OCD thing with having stories ending in even numbers or multiples of five . So using that logic, the next chapter is the very last! *O* So yeah, please bear with me in this chapter! There IS some actual German used (mind you, it's really terrible, so if you try to translate it and get something about chickens or dune buggies, don't quote me on it being perfect).**

**Anyway, read and review, please! :DDD**

* * *

"Oooohh... I'm so worried... What if something is going wrong and Sayo and Daisuke are terribly hurt? There _must_ be something we can do for them!"

Kosuke had tried for the last half hour to comfort his wife, but she refused to stay still in the house. Even though Towa had brewed a special tea for her to drink that would help Emiko calm down, it seemed that nothing would ease the mind of the Niwa woman. Daiki even gave it a shot, telling her of the times in the past where Dark had managed to get through the toughest situations in heists forty years ago without breaking a sweat, but it only helped in stressing his daughter out that much more. All the males and the maid sighed collectively, sweat dropping in defeat. There was very little that would properly sooth her, after all.

Emiko continued pacing around the living room, abusing her bottom lip between her teeth, and made soft grunting sounds under her breath in frustration. But then she suddenly stopped and snapped her fingers, gasping as though thinking of an idea. Kosuke, Daiki and Towa blinked at her, wondering what was wrong this time or if she'd finally snapped.

Spinning around to face her family, Kosuke and Daiki noticed the gleam of determination and triumph in her brown eyes before she stepped closer to them. "Dad!" she exclaimed, looking at her white-haired father. He blinked widely in curiosity, awaiting his daughter's next words. "Dad, tell me if I'm wrong, but isn't there a way to see what Dark is up to? Some spell of some kind?"

Daiki thought about it for a moment, fingers curling in his beard and eyes rolled up to the ceiling. "Hmm... I vaguely recall finding some sort of spell that could give us a look into what's going on," he said finally; Emiko gasped in delight and set off toward the basement door, choosing not to listen to the rest of what the old man had to say. "But it hasn't been used since my time, so I'm not sure how reliable it is-" He then noticed the woman was gone and he jolted, eyes wide with surprise. "Aww, does no one listen to what I have to say anymore?" he complained. Kosuke sweat dropped sympathetically and laughed weakly.

"Let's... just try to help Emiko, hmm? She'll need it downstairs," the black-haired man suggested, not wanting to cause a pointless rant from the elder at the moment. Instead, he steered the Niwa toward the open door that lead down the spiral staircase into the stone basement. Towa, left behind in the ruckus, jumped slightly and smiled brightly, deciding to brew a pot of normal green tea for her mistress and masters to drink when they were finished with their business.

Situated in their brown cloaks and golden scepters with the feathered tops, Emiko and Daiki quickly found the spell they were to use and Kosuke assisted in creating the fire they needed. With everything prepared after a few minutes, Emiko and Daiki began the ritual to allow them sight into Dark and Krad's battle over Sayo and Amber's power. They waved their staffs around one another several times, chanting the German incantation that put the spell to use.

"By the Powers that Be, shed light for those in the eternal darkness!" Emiko exclaimed; the red flames burst with a load roar into purple light, engulfing the whole family in the illumination that would soon reveal what Dark was up to against his blond half. All Niwa stared deep into the fire, anxious to find out how the Thief was coping in one of his most intense battles since reappearing in Daisuke.

"Oh, please... Daisuke. Dark. Please be safe," Emiko murmured, worry clear in her eyes and a hand clutched tightly to her chest.

* * *

"You'll never be able to defeat me, Mousy! Not when I control that circle Sayo Aisaka lies in below!" Krad cackled devilishly, his white wings pounding through the night air, dodging each black energy orb his amethyst-haired half sent toward him. The blond curse returned Dark's blasts with his own, each one narrowly avoiding the Thief, who looked angry enough to send Evil Incarnate into the pits of Hell, three times over. But Krad took no fear from it- instead, he laughed once more and flew at hs counterpart, struggling in a physical fight as he smirked manically.

"One wrong move and I just may cause your precious little Sayo Aisaka more pain than she's ever had before!"

Dark growled and pushed the blond devil roughly from him, sending yet another energy blast at him, eyes narrowed in rage at what he was threatening. "Don't you dare do that, Krad!" he shouted loudly, grunting under his breath as he strained to remain in the air and not get hit by the shots of yellow power from the Hikari's curse's white feather. "Sayo did nothing to deserve this from you! Why don't you think about what you're doing and stop before someone gets seriously hurt?" Like Krad would actually listen to him, of course, but he _did_ believe in miracles sometimes.

Just as predicted, Krad laughed again, throwing his head back; then he raised a gloved hand and grasped it into a tight fist. At first, Dark had no idea what the blond was doing, but then he heard the piercing scream of pain from below him. Gasping in shock at what he thought that yell was, the dark-haired spirit snapped his head to the white half-finished circle where Sayo lay crumpled in the middle of. As he grunted in debate of going down to help her and remaining where he was to continue fighting Krad, Dark glare at his other half in frustration.

"Stop it, Krad! _Now_!" the Thief shouted through the night sky to the blond, who merely grinned in return, a crazed edge to his lips. They shot energy orbs at one another, the opposite blasts whizzing past their wings and smashing into distant trees. But neither paid attention to that as they both flew at the other, determination and rage blazed in their eyes.

_'M-Miss Aisaka! Is she alright, Dark?'_ Daisuke stammered with fright and concern in the back of their shared mind. It took a long minute for the Thief to reply, too busy with attempting to land a blow to Krad and avoid the blond's attacks himself.

_"Sayo will be fine!"_ Dark answered hastily, grunting slightly in pain when the corner of his left wing was nicked by a yellow orb, causing him to falter in his flight a bit. But he quickly recovered, growling under his breath in irritation. _"I just need to deal with this fool first! But don't worry, Daisuke! I promise that Sayo will be alright!"_

Dark felt his Tamer shift a bit in his mind with unease of having to wait, but the redhead said nothing. That allowed Dark to concentrate more on fighting Krad and finding some way to get the circle completed and the correct ritual to happen so that Sayo could be safe, just as he promised his host.

He only hoped he could do it all in time, before Sayo fell unconscious from the sheer agony from the pain Krad was forcing on her.

* * *

It really was taking all of Sayo's strength not to let herself drift into unconsciousness at the moment. But she forced herself to deal with the pain that Krad was inflicting into her from the half-done circle she lay inside. For the sake of Daisuke... Dark... Hiwatari... and for herself. For all of their sakes, Sayo had to stay awake and try hard to do what she could in order to help defeat Krad.

_'Krad? W-where is he? I-I need to see him- even for a second!'_ Amber suddenly shouted in Sayo's mind, causing the raven-headed girl to cringe at the volume and hiss in pain. A migraine was forming, and it was no doubt from the pressure of the pain she was enduring. But she fought past that, forcing herself to remain sitting up at the very least, in case Dark looked down and saw her. She had to keep awake to give him strength to keep fighting, even if it was just a little bit.

_'K-Krad! Please! I-I need to see him! Take me to him now!'_ Amber shouted again, her voice desperate and on the verge of tears.

_"Krad won't come for you! Everything he said to you before was nothing but _lies_, Amber! You need to understand that!"_ Sayo shouted back through their bond, trying to stay strong and difficult to control. But Amber's relentless urging and desperate attemptions at gaining the upper hand in her Tamer's body were getting to be too much and Sayo felt her spirit breaking down enough for Amber to take over.

The familiar light of her curse appeared in the girl's mind, who was too exhausted to fight anymore. Within seconds, Amber was out and she stood quickly, amber eyes scanning the sky for her blond angelic man. But all she saw were two streaks slamming against one another, black into gold, and energy blasts shooting at each other but none of them really hitting their intended target.

"Krad! I-it's me! Let me out of this circle- please!" Amber cried out, running to the edge of the ring and stopping. She glanced down to the white chalk then inhaled deeply and tried stepping over the line, but a shock of electric blue pain went through her. She cried out, her whole body aching from the splitting pain. Collapsing to her knees, Amber whimpered and forced the tears from forming in her eyes.

"Krad... Why would you make me hurt so much like this...?" she choked out, not understanding the reason at all.

_"I told you that Krad doesn't care!"_ Sayo exclaimed to her curse in exasperation, growling under her breath. _"All he cares about is taking your power- whatever it is- for himself and nothing else! He doesn't care that he's hurting anyone, so long as he gets what he wants!"_

Amber gasped lightly at her host's words, her eyes widening as though the truth was finally dawning on her. The woman shut her eyes tightly and gulped, her breath shallow as she grasped the loose dirt between her fingers that curled into tight fists. "You mean..." she said softly, "You mean that Krad... was using me...? He was never once going to follow through on his word to be with me...? Even if I did what he'd asked...?"

_"I'm afraid not, Amber,"_ Sayo sighed, not sounding sorry in the least bit. In fact, she was hoping that the Aisaka curse was finally getting the drift of the true Krad. _"Like I said, Krad only cares about himself and will do anything in his power to get what he wants, even if it means hurting innocent people or killing them."_

Amber was silent for a long moment before she finally sighed heavily and slowly stood up, releasing the dirt from her fists. "I see..." she murmured, refusing to allow her eyes to peer through the black bangs that shone like fire. "It seems I have no choice, then..." She stepped toward the perimeter of the circle again, stopping right before she could get hit by the shock once more. Kneeling down, Amber grabbed a tiny but sturdy twig that lay within the ring and suddenly dug the end of the stick into the ground, growling under her breath as she carved over the original runes Krad had made and created new, deeper runes.

_"Amber, what are you doing?"_ Sayo exclaimed, confused as to what her other half was doing. Flashes of drawings that looked identical to what Amber was carving into the dirt came to Sayo then and the Tamer gasped sharply, understanding instantly. _"W-wait, you're drawing the runes that the ritual we were supposed to use to get rid of you? B-but _why_, Amber? You're going to destroy yourself!"_

"It needs to be done," Amber muttered, shaking her head as she concentrated hard on the runes she was creating. "I've caused so much trouble for you, Sayo. Even when you were a kid... I did nothing but hurt you and make you an outcast, everywhere you went. You deserve so much more than that. Besides," she paused to dryly smile, "I've been alive- in whatever sense you wanna take that- for too long. My time has to come to an end and if that means _now_, when you finally found someone who understands you unlike anyone else, then so be it."

Even as she spoke, Amber quickly carved each rune carefully into the ground around the circle, and Sayo could feel the surge of power flow through her body. She grunted at the sensation, wanting the ritual to just be over with. Then Amber stood, tossing the stick away, out of the ring of power, and stepped into the center, head tilted up so she could see Dark and Krad still battling each other. Amber closed her eyes and Sayo caught glimpses of a strange language, she suspected it was an old branch of German, in her bond with the older female.

"_Der frieden von Geist de himmel_," Amber murmured, each word sending shivers of power through her body and even Sayo felt the surges, wondering what her other half was up to. Even though she had never understood German- hadn't ever tried to understand it- she suddenly realized what the red curse was saying. _'Freedom of the spirit into Heaven." _She was trying to remove herself from Sayo and ascend into the afterlife, but having just Amber wasn't going to work- she needed Dark and Krad in the circle to complete it!

Amber must have realized that as she grunted in irritation under her breath and opened her eyes, obviously trying to find a way to bring the other curses to the circle. Sayo was at a loss for ideas, but fortunately, her counterpart decided to do what she did best: shout. She went to the edge closest to the brawl between the Hikari art and cupped her hands around her mouth, prepared to yell as loud as she could through the zapping shock of power still surging through her body.

"_Yo!_" Amber shouted loudly, her voice seeming to echo in the space around. But neither winged figure appeared to hear her and Sayo would have fallen over in exasperation if she had a physical body. Amber growled and rolled her eyes. "Damn those guys. I guess that even if they're living pieces of art, they're still _men_." She then inhaled sharply, ready to yell out once more. Sayo readied herself for the sheer force of such a scream, inwardly cringing.

"_Yo, Black Wings! Get your butts down here or else fear my crazed wrath!_"

Sayo blinked, her eyes wide with amused shock, not expecting her other half to say such a declaration that could prove to be so very, very true. However, it seemed to work as the black streak from Dark suddenly stopped and seconds later, Krad's yellow streak. Both Amber and her human host watched as the two parts of the Black Wings struggled in mid-air for a few seconds before plummeting to the ground. How close they would land to the circle, neither female knew. They only hoped it'd be close enough to be able to conjure the spell properly.

As the two spirits plunged toward the ground and that much closer to the possible sealing of Dark and Krad, Amber silently urged their landing to be next to her. She couldn't seem to get out of the circle- it was possible that because Krad had tried to take her power earlier that her energy was now sealed within the ring, even if she carved new runes into the perimeter. So grabbing the two males if they were far outside the ring would be impossible for her.

After what felt like eons, Dark and his evil half finally crashed to the ground, tumbling and grunting as they continued to tussle with one another, apparently having used too much magical energy to continue with their feathers. Amber gasped sharply as she watched them, a grin forming on her face when she noticed that they were only a few feet away from the enchanted circle.

_"If only we could get Dark to bring himself and Krad in here!" _Sayo groaned, as though unsure of being able to do such a thing. Amber smirked in determination and chuckled under her breath.

"Hey, you're talkin' to _me_ here, Sayo," the older spirit said as she quickly sketched in the rest of the half-finished circle with the white chalk that was lying near her. With it done in seconds, Amber clapped her hands clean of the chalk dust and chuckled again. "Now to just deal with those two bozos over there and then continue the ritual. Then you'll be free with Daisuke," the woman murmured before putting two fingers into her mouth and whistling sharply to get Dark's attention. Luckily, the Thief heard it instantly and while he had Krad's white collar in his grasp, he looked over, seeing Amber gesturing toward herself.

"Hey! Dark! If you want to help Sayo and get rid of me for her, then get inside of this thing and bring that asshole backstabber with you!" Amber shouted over to him; Dark stared at her, puzzled by what she'd said, but then smirked in understanding and grunted as he pulled Krad out from beneath him. The blond devil growled and attempted to push away, to no avail, being forced into tumbling inside of the chalked circle alongside his Niwa enemy.

Almost the moment Dark entered the ring of power, he suddenly knew exactly what to say and do in order to successfully perform the ritual to free his Tamer and Sayo from their curses. Even as Krad continued struggling in his arms, Dark grew more and more aggravated at the blond's movements, eventually sending a hard right punch straight into his gut; Krad cried out in pain and tried to swing his own punch at the dark-haired Thief, but Dark caught it and slammed Krad into the ground, the dirt shuddering from the action.

"Damn you, Dark!" the white curse snapped, his breath stuck in his throat from the gut smack. Scoffing dryly, the Thief chose to ignore him and instead looked over to Amber, who had ended up falling to her hands and knees, the strength she had in her body spent from getting the art pieces in. She weakly raised her dark amber eyes to meet Dark's amethyst orbs and gave him a faint grin in return, sweat trailing down her temple and forehead.

"I got the runes on the circle," she told him casually despite her appearance. "You just gotta help me finish this damn spell. Seems it's being flippin' stubborn and refusing to properly work unless we're all in here. Guess it likes teamwork; who knows."

Krad grunted and turned his head toward Amber, golden eyes burning like the sun in rage. "What the hell are you doing, Amber?" he snapped angrily at her, growling as he tried once more to break from Dark's iron grip on his collar, but it still seemed pretty useless. "After everything we've done! Are you _insane_?"

Amber scoffed, giving him the stink eye as only she could. "No, Krad, I'm pretty sure the only one who's off their rocker is _you_, asshole," she hissed coldly, causing Dark to be reminded of a female Krad for a moment. Her eyes shone with pent-up fury and he swore he could see actual fire flare around her back, making her look like a true psychotic woman from Hell. Normally, he'd have to worry about Sayo's well being, but by this point, he knew the raven-headed Tamer could handle her counterpart, at least for just a little bit longer until the Aisaka curse was gone for good.

After a few long seconds of a fiery glare aimed at Krad, Amber eventually turned her stare onto Dark, who remained unflinching. They shared a moment of inaudible understanding and Dark suddenly shoved Krad further against the ground, causing the blond to cry out in agony, growling and struggling desperately to escape.

"This is the end of the line for you, Krad," Dark said in a hard, cold hiss, eyes narrowing into slits as he mustered all the mystical energy he could to use for the spell that he'd scanned fom Satoshi's book earlier and the words he saw in his mind. He inched his face closer to his other half's, his expression unreadable. "But it's also the end for me as well... Does that make it feel all better for you, Krad? I certainly hope not. Because the pain you're about to experience will be the most horrendous you'll ever have in your entire existence."

And with that cold threat, Dark turned his attention back to Amber and nodded a single time, indicating to her that he was ready. She nodded back and closed her eyes, still bent over in pain on the ground. Quietly, as though muttering to herself, she began speaking the old German words that allowed the spell to ignite within the circle. A faint electric blue light started to appear on the white chalked lines and both male spirits gasped and watched the glow burn brighter and brighter with each word Amber spoke to herself.

"_Deine zeite... ist nicht los..._" she chanted, voice growing stronger and louder, despite the zapping and shockings that were traveling around the base of the circle and into herself and the males. Dark grunted, wincing as a sharp shot of pain went up his spine, the sudden sensation nearly causing him to loosen his grip on Krad, but he managed to endure it quickly and keep a hold on the devil under him. He knew, from pure instinct, that the pain would only get worse and Amber was nearly done. There wasn't much to the spell in terms of words; it was the feeling and chant itself that created the true power of the ritual.

"_Die dieter reiten..." _Amber continued, only to stop mid-sentence to groan in pain from a burst of harsh energy from the spell; Dark violently shoved Krad back against the ground as the white curse tried to push him off once more- one would think that Krad would learn a lesson by now, but apparently not. Dark waited for Amber to finish the spell, but when she cried out in agony, collapsing to the ground, shaking in pain, he knew he had to finish it off himself.

The amethyst-eyed man subdued his other half with a swift elbow to the gut, enjoying the sound of his breathless groan, before closing his eyes and pulling the choice words from the gibberish floating around in his mind. Once he found the correct enchantments, he smirked in triumph, wincing slightly as the electricity worsened tenfold. Both Amber and Krad cried out in sheer agony at the strain it put on their bodies, but Dark forced himself to get through the pain and cast the spell quickly.

"_Deine zeite ist nicht los,_" the Thief said in a clear, confident voice, knowing that if he spoke otherwise, the ritual would go awry and that was something he did _not_ want to happen. "_Die dieter reiten... mach das _schnell!"

At long last, the resolution that all three curses both anticipated and dreaded, with the final word shouted clear into the heavens, the circle crackled with its massive power surge; all within the ring screamed in sheer agony, feeling as though their very souls were being ripped apart and cast into the fiery coals of Hell then returned to their bodies, shredded and unable to be used any longer. Amber shrieked, bending against herself and arms wrapped around her, the sensation of her insides being destroyed. She knew that it was her spirit that was being split from Sayo's true soul, something that would feel like a thousand sharp, poking needles sticking through her entire body. It was beyond mere words of pain, but to allow Sayo freedom of her after all the years of bearing with the crazy spirit, Amber also knew it was worth it in the end.

Dark and Krad both seemed to be in a worse state, their appearances shimmering and trembling as their own spirits began to separate from their hosts' bodies for good. Neither had felt such a terrible pain before; Krad, if he had the strength, would have thrown Dark off and tackled Amber, which he'd hoped would break the binding and sealing spell. But adding Satoshi's power of trying to over-come his family curse to the agony and Krad was rendered powerless. A position which the white curse despised being in.

_'D-Dark...! W-what's going on?'_ Daisuke exclaimed, wincing himself from the internal energy being sucked out. The dark-haired Phantom would have answered, but even staying conscious at the moment was taking all his strength. Thankfully, Daisuke understood after another burst of power crackling through his body of what was going on and he silently allowed it to proceed, only grunting from trying to withstand the electricity.

Finally, after what felt like years, each host experienced a sweeping surge of energy, splitting the Tamers from their counterparts painfully. All three curses fizzed from sight and their hosts appeared; Daisuke pinning Satoshi to the ground and Sayo feet away from them, doubled over and crying out. Eventually, the pain slowly disappeared from their human bodies and as Sayo and Daisuke began to recover from the internal torture, the raven-haired girl looked up and suddenly sharply gasped, raising her head properly.

Before her were the ghostly images of Dark and Amber, both grinning and watching their previous hosts with fondness. Having heard Sayo gasp in shock, Daisuke rolled off of an unconscious Satoshi and glanced up to see what had surprised her so much. When he saw his older friend and the woman who had tried to kill him weeks ago, the redhead couldn't resist his own gasp of shock. Dark's amused smirk grew at the sight, placing a hand on his hip casually.

"I know I'm amazing to see, but I didn't think you thought so highly of me," the Thief said gently in a teasing tone, giving his friend a light wink; Amber chuckled and rolled her eyes at his words but said nothing about it. Dark's joking manner calmed and he smiled gently at Daisuke, who was still gaping widely at the purple-eyed curse. "It seems the ceremony went correctly; I'm glad to see you're fine. The aftereffects of the power otherwise, anyway."

"D-Dark..." Daisuke breathed out, struggling to stand. Dark stepped forward to help, but found he couldn't touch the teen and the Phantom sighed deeply, forced to watch as the redhead stumbled to his feet, then went to help Sayo to her feet as well. Daisuke glanced over at Dark again, still holding onto Sayo's shoulders while she herself struggled to catch her breath and recover from the ritual itself.

"Dark... what's going to happen to you now?" Daisuke asked softly, red eyes portraying his concern and sadness of losing a close friend and brother-like figure in his life. Dark shrugged, looking up into the night sky, which somehow seemed to grow lighter as though dawn was breaking through. Perhaps it was, though, considering how long Daisuke and Sayo had been gone.

"I'm not sure," the Thief answered honestly, a smile on his lips. "But whatever happens to me and Amber, I'm sure it'll be much better than what _Krad_'s going through," he added with a low chuckle; Daisuke noticed then that the blond angel was nowhere to be seen. He had no idea why he hadn't stayed behind and Dark and Amber had. He figured it was because Dark and Amber had a few final words to tell their Tamers, while Krad hadn't cared at all about his own. But that was only a thought.

"I'm glad..." Dark murmured quietly, catching Daisuke's attention again, "I'm glad you can live a proper life now, Daisuke. And I'm glad you found your Sacred Maiden, especially one so feisty as Sayo," he chuckled, turning his head toward the amber-eyed girl and her life-long other half. Daisuke smiled fondly and did the same, nodding in silent agreement. Sayo looked on the verge of crying, but she seemed adamant to not for the sake of her sanity. Suddenly, Amber groaned and hunched over, gripping her head tightly. Everyone gasped lightly and watched her with wide eyes, trying to understand what was wrong _now_.

Another flickering image began to form beside Amber, who was beginning to fade from sight. The Aisaka spirit grinned weakly up at Sayo, who was watching anxiously. "S-seems whatever's goin' on, is trying to get rid of me. I-I guess this is good bye. Wish me luck if I get stuck around Krad, huh?" she faintly laughed, giving both teens and Dark a wave farewell before slipping out of sight as the other form came into full view. Sayo gasped again, stepping closer to the woman standing before her; the same woman she had always seen in her mind aside from Amber; the woman who had apparently led Sayo onto the right path who she truly cared about. But now, as though everything had cleared her mind, she knew exactly who this mysterious figure was.

"M-mom..." the girl whispered, stepping slowly toward the older woman. Daisuke and Dark glanced between the two females, seeing the similarities. The woman chuckled and nodded, hands on her hips as she grinned like Sayo would.

"Seems you finally figured it out, eh?" Mrs. Aisaka asked, tone sheepish. "Yeah, sorry about being so cryptic all those times before, dear. Weird thing was that I wasn't allowed to just outright tell you that this boy there was the one you were going to end up with. Something about needing you to realize it yourself or whatever."

As Sayo's ghostly mother spoke, Daisuke couldn't resist a slight sweat drop, finding it eerie how alike the two were now. He watched the udder happiness and relief flood onto Sayo's face, glad himself that she could have a final word with her mother who'd died at such a young age for her. At least she could have some parting words like she couldn't have in the start of everything.

"B-but how are you even here at all? And why the heck did you come out of Amber?" Sayo exclaimed in confusion; her mother smiled weakly and rubbed the back of her head.

"Well, when Amber did what she did to me and your father, I suppose the fact that I wanted to do more for you had put some of my spirit into hers and we merged a bit. That's why Amber had no idea about me when you saw me at night and during school; because in a way, I was a part of her." She paused, stepping closer to her daughter and placing a hand to Sayo's cheek, despite the fact that she would have gone right through her. Tears filled the girl's eyes but she remained silent, not wanting to miss a single word from the kind woman.

"My dear Sayo... I regret not being there for you as much as I wanted. I'm still not sure why Amber did what she did- I'm sure she had her own reasons- but I'm glad I could stay with you until now. However, now I have to leave. I just wanted to make sure you found your place in life, found someone who would help you through the tough times. Goodness knows that Amber wasn't a very good influence." She smiled gently, her transparent eyes misting over with tears; Sayo's own spilled over and trailed down her cheeks.

"Mom... Do you _have_ to go?" she whispered and her mother nodded reluctantly.

"I'm afraid so. I used up all the extra time I could to be with you and remain on Earth. But sweetheart, you won't ever be alone," she added, turning her eyes over to Daisuke, who stiffened with surprise. He wasn't aware that the woman had noticed him at all. Sayo turned to look at him as well, her eyes softening at the sight. "You have him to be there for you. And me and your father are always be watching from Heaven."

Just as Amber had done minutes before, Mrs. Aisaka's appearance began to flicker and become staticy, eliciting a sad smile from her and a choked gasp of sadness from Sayo.

"Looks like I'm done here. Don't forget that I have always loved you and I always will, my darling," Mrs. Aisaka told her daughter, leaning down to hover her lips over Sayo's forehead. Sayo whimpered quietly and nodded, wiping her eyes and sniffling. With a final smile to her daughter, Mrs. Aisaka glanced over to Daisuke one last time. "And you. Thank you for doing so much for Sayo. You did what I wished I could; please... take good care of her. Or else I'll have my husband haunt you in your dreams," she told him, obviously teasing the redhead. Daisuke flushed but nodded, knowing the importance of such a task. He smiled in agreement.

"Of course I will," he told her and with that, the ghostly woman flickered out of sight, followed by a flickering in Dark's own appearance. The Thief cursed under his breath but sighed deeply.

"Looks like it's my turn to go now," the man said; he grinned up at the redhead and then to Sayo, who was still crying. "Have fun together, guys. I know you'll do it as long as you're together." He raised his head to the lighter sky, smiling gently. "Maybe I'll be lucky and return to my Rika..." he murmured before suddenly erupting into a sparkling ball of dark purple light, which then zipped around Daisuke and Sayo before bolting up into the red-tinted sky, disappearing within the mass colors of the sunrise.

Many moments passed before either teen made a move. When they did, Sayo sighed heavily and leaned slightly against Daisuke's shoulders; he held her close and kept her on her feet. Both were exhausted and sore from the little excursion they'd been through and just wanted to go to sleep, even if it _was_ already morning. Daisuke was sure his mother would understand if he and Sayo felt like collapsing in their bed and couch and sleep the day away.

"Miss... A-Aisaka...?" Daisuke said softly, stammering as though unsure what to call her now. After all, he'd heard her calling him by his first name before; should he return it and call her by _hers_ as well? Or would that be much too bold for whatever their new friendship or relationship was now? Or perhaps she had _accidentally_ called his first name in her fear of trying to be saved by him and Dark. Maybe she hadn't meant to call him as she did, and so calling her by her first name really _would_ be too-

"Daisuke?" Sayo questioned from his side, looking up at him with those determined but tired amber eyes that he had grown to find breathtaking. The redhead went pink in the face at how concerned she appeared and gave her a reassuring smile, feeling mildly embarrassed that she'd called him by his first name again. Then before wasn't a mistake, after all. "Are you okay? You aren't too tired, are you? We really should go home and get some rest, don't you think?" Sayo continued, acting as thought nothing had changed between them.

Daisuke nodded, the smile on his face become more natural as he thought about his warm, cozy, soft bed back home. "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea," he agreed with her, sliding his hand from her shoulder down to her hand, gently squeezing. Now that he knew how she felt for him- even if it hadn't been verbally spoken to him- he knew what she wouldn't mind him do. And hand holding, since she hadn't pulled away sharply yet, was perfectly fine.

But just as they began heading back to Daisuke's house, Sayo suddenly and lightly gasped, stopping and turning around. Daisuke followed, wondering what was wrong, and instantly saw what she was walking back to. His red eyes widened slightly when he saw Satoshi struggling to sit up; how could he forget all about Hiwatari like that? He felt absolutely terrible and rushed to help Sayo assist Satoshi to his feet.

"Careful now, don't strain yourself," the redhead cautioned as he and the raven-headed girl brought the Commander to his feet; the blue-haired teen glanced at them both, his expression as unreadable as always. Daisuke gave Satoshi a light smile. "It's all over, Hiwatari," he explained to the older teen. "Krad and Dark is gone, as well as Miss Amber. We're all free now. Isn't that great?"

Satoshi kept silent, gesturing to them both that he didn't need any further help, and shakily took a step forward. "You must be happy to be free of Amber, Miss Aisaka..." he murmured, still audible from where he stood, then he paused what he spoke about before continuing. "But I'm sure this upsets you, Niwa, just a bit. Am I right?"

The redhead wasn't sure how exactly to respond to that; Satoshi didn't expect an answer, however. Instead, he tilted his head up to the morning sky, which was lightening further with orange and blues and reds with cracking dawn. A faint smile crept onto Satoshi's pale lips as he chuckled softly under his breath. "Krad is... gone, huh? This might... take some getting used to."

After a long moment of silence to reflect on what had disappeared from their lives for good, Sayo suddenly clapped her hands and began to walk away from the dirty grounds on which the ritual had taken place- they all realized once they saw it, that it had once been a farm of some kind- and Daisuke followed behind her, wondering what she was doing. The raven-haired girl stopped in front of Satoshi and gave him her patented bright smile, holding a hand out to him. Satoshi glanced over to her, blinking in confusion. He still wasn't used to anyone's kindness toward him, it seemed.

"C'mon," Sayo said to the Commander gently, "Let's go home, huh? I'm getting real tired of staying here; aren't you, Hiwatari?"

It took the icy-eyed boy a few long minutes to finally understand what she meant; that she had completely forgiven him for what he'd done and she merely wanted to begin anew with him. It was something he'd wanted for a while since he realized his feelings about her and about them. He never expected it, though, and to hear it like this was a miracle to him.

Then, after much thought, Satoshi smiled a bit in return and nodded silently, reaching out to take her hand with his. Giggling lightly, Sayo squeezed his hand playfully and looked over to Daisuke, who was also smiling and they both nodded, indicating that they were all ready to leave the horrid place that reminded them of what had happened only one hour before. With that final thought, the three teens walked side by side toward Azumano City, all sure of what the outcome of the events were in the very end.

* * *

"Thank goodness..."

Emiko sighed heavily in relief and a smile went to her face, wiping a stray tear that had formed in the corner of her eyes while she had been watching the ceremony occur. She, like her husband and father, had been anxious and fearful that her son and Sayo wouldn't make it successfully. But when she and Daiki and Kosuke watched the teens stand up from everything and smile, the adults knew that they could do anything now. However, that didn't ease her motherly worry of having her son exhausted and weak. When he and Sayo got home, she would have Towa make a batch of nice hot, thick soup for the two and allow them as much rest as they needed.

"It seems the commotion is all over," Daiki sighed out, sounding as relieved as his daughter. He flicked a hand over the purple flames in which they all watched the battle, and it immediately vanished within the iron cauldron it had been cast in. "Dark... Whatever fate has befallen you now, I wish you peace, my friend..." he murmured as though speaking to the Thief in Heaven.

Emiko let out another deep sigh, flipping the hood from her head and handing the black cloak to her husband, who hung it on a hook on the stone stairs wall. "Well, we've done all we can do for them," she said aloud in a solemn tone, "But there's only one more thing to ask you both."

Both males blinked curiously at the sandy-haired woman, neither sure of what she was going to ask them about. Suddenly, the grave expression on her face changed to a bright, peppy smile- one she had worn so often almost two months ago before the serious situation had started. Emiko clapped her hands together and giggled cheerfully.

"Don't you think that Dai and Sayo look _so_ cute together?" she questioned like a teenager; the men practically fell to the floor in exasperation at the vast switch in her personality, but welcomed it with a simple smile.

The danger was over now and all that was left was to help the teens recover from their ordeal, something the adults could do with ease.


	30. Epilogue

**This is the final chapter of The Ultimate Choice :DDD I hope everyone reading it over the past year has enjoyed it and I hope to continue hearing from readers for my other fanfics ^^ As always, the only characters I own are Sayo, Amber, her mother and any other people not known/shown in the anime :3 I also only own the plot. I wish I owned Dark and the others Alas, I do not, so I'll bear with Sayo and Amber! ^^**

**Please, read and review!**

* * *

'Today's the last day of school before winter break. It's been two and a half weeks since Amber and Dark were taken away from me and Daisuke... I wonder what's going to happen today,' Sayo though as she gazed up into the winter gray sky of the city, listening to her classmates chatter behind her about what they were doing for Christmas break and their vacations. Some were merely visiting friends and family in town while others were actually traveling outside the country to go on winter trips. She, however, was staying in town and still unsure of her own plans. Daisuke and his family had offered her to stay for the holiday, but she'd refused. Christmas was a time for family and she wasn't about to butt right into something as precious as that.

Sayo sighed once more, shifting her weight so her arm didn't go numb from laying on it for too long, and her thoughts shifted as well. She and Daisuke had gotten much closer in the past two weeks, something she was ecstatic about, even going so far as to having him call her _just_ Sayo; he had the cute habit of tacking on 'Miss' once in a while, though, and she would raise an eyebrow at him- grinning, of course- until he amended his mistake with a sheepish laugh. In return, she called him Daisuke, occasionally going so far as to playfully call him Dai. Sayo didn't know it was possible to be this happy, if she were to be honest. But normally, she would have to listen to Amber tease her about her crush or something similar to that; not hearing it was both a delight and a depressing thing. She was glad that she could do things her own way without having commentary from the Peanut Gallery, but she had gotten so used to it that once it was gone, her mind felt sort of... blank of anything, other than her own thoughts. It was so strange yet welcoming and Sayo wasn't quite sure how to react to it sometimes.

"Sayo. Are you alright?" Daisuke's gently concerned question snapped the raven-haired girl from her thoughts and she turned away from the window of the classroom, facing her still-new boyfriend. Looking up at him, Sayo suddenly noticed how much taller he was now compared to her. She supposed it was just another sign of how much he'd grown, both physically and mentally.

Sayo forced a smile onto her face and gave the redhead a single nod, trailing her amber gaze back out the window again. "Yeah, I'm fine, Daisuke," she told him lightly, "Just thinking. Again. Like always."

Daisuke gave her a thoughtful smile, turning to lean against the windowsill just as she was now. "About her, right? Don't feel bad about it; I still think about _him_, too," he assured her, keeping his voice down in case anyone was listening; Sayo peered over to him, her eyes curious about his words. "I miss him a lot, but I'm getting better," he continued, reaching his hand out to take a hold of Sayo's gently. "One of these days, I'll be completely healed and Dark will be just a fond, distant memory of my past."

Sayo nodded silently, agreeing with what he said. She felt the same way about Amber, but her connection to the fiery curse was even deeper than Daisuke's was with Dark since she'd spent nearly all her life with Amber instead of only since her fourteenth birthday. But it was all in the past and all she could do now was move on and live her life to the fullest with her precious boyfriend.

"Hey, _lovebirds_!" the voice of Saehara interrupted the growing intimacy between the two teens suddenly. Both Sayo and Daisuke turned around to look at the reporter, Daisuke blushing and Sayo wide-eyed. Takeshi grinned and waved a hand, laughing teasingly. "Sorry to break you two up, but Miss Aisaka got a Christmas candy gram!"

Sayo blinked, her eyes growing even wider. "W-what? Really?" she questioned, puzzled. She hadn't expected to get anything like that, since the only guys she knew liked her were Daisuke and Takeshi- though he'd seemed to have given up on her lately and was crushing hard on one of the twins' friends. Daisuke hadn't told her about giving her a Christmas candy gram, so... who else had sent her one?

As she crossed the class room to the door where the student council member waited for her, Sayo couldn't help but glance quickly to where Satoshi sat, in his lonesome looking corner as always with his book that he was never seen without. He must have felt her eyes on him and raised his blue orbs in time to them to meet. Then she shook her head once he returned to his book. Satoshi wasn't the type to send cheap gifts like school candy grams; she didn't know why she had guessed him at all.

"So, um... I got a candy gram thing?" Sayo asked the student member who she eventually recognize as Shiki, an upper classmen in the school; he nodded and dug through the cloth bag he had on his hip, finally taking out two palm-sized wrapped parcels and handing them to her. Wondering who had sent them to her, Sayo could only nod her thanks and wave as Shiki left to the next classroom then glance down at the candy packages. Beside her, Takeshi grinned his usual toothy smile and gestured for her to look at the tags of the gifts. She did so and was surprised to see his own name written inside the tiny tag.

"Saehara? You gave me them?" Sayo asked, raising her head to look at the brown-haired boy. He blinked in bewilderment at her and shook her head.

"I only sent you _one_, Miss Aisaka. I don't know who sent you the other one; why don't you check the tag on it?" he suggested, gesturing to the second, unopened tag. Daisuke, on her other side, nodded in agreement and she noticed a strange glint in his ruby eyes. Raising an eyebrow, growing suspicious of the two boys, she did just that and lightly gasped to herself at the one name she hadn't expected to see more than Satoshi's: Daisuke Niwa.

"Daisuke, you, too?" Sayo questioned the redhead, who smiled and softly laughed, rubbing the back of his head with slight embarrassment. But that wasn't what confused her the most; the reason why Takeshi sent her one did. So she turned back to him and tilted her head in confusion. "Why did you give me one, Saehara? I mean, it's _really_ sweet of you and everything. I'm just confused why you did."

The brunette chuckled with his own embarrassment and chuckled, scratching his head. "Yeah, I know you and Daisuke are an item now an' all, but I figured I'd let you know how I felt one last time, for old times' sake, is all," he explained with a casual shrug. Sayo smiled gently and nodded in understanding. Takeshi turned from her and Daisuke, who was simply looking at his friend with his own smile. "Don't think I still like you, Miss Aisaka, 'cuz it isn't like that at all." He went to say more, but stopped when his brown eyes caught sight of something above the couple. A wide grin tugged at his lips and he turned to face them again, hands raised as though to reach out toward them.

"Say, Daisuke, why don't you give your girlfriend a little Christmas kiss, huh?" the reporter laughed mischievously and before either could do anything about it, he reached out and shoved the redhead against Sayo; they both yelped in surprise and went red in the face. Takeshi laughed loudly and triumphantly, catching the attention of a few classmates of theirs. Giggling uneasily, Sayo noticed the twins also giggling together and even Satoshi had glanced up to see what was going on. All the eyes on him made a dark flush to appear over Daisuke's face and he stammered, choking on his words as he tried to speak but failed to.

"Go on, Niwa!" Risa giggled out, smiling widely in amusement at the redhead's predicament, which only caused the flush to darken even more, if that were possible. "That's what a mistletoe is for, isn't it?"

Looking up at the frame of the door, the new couple realized that they were standing under a green plant with a tiny bunch of red berries in the middle- mistletoe. While Sayo grinned, pleased at what Takeshi's sudden shove was about. She never truly went through with the tradition of the thing, but now that she had Daisuke by her side, perhaps she could make an exception.

"C'mon, Dai," Sayo giggled, teasingly smiling over at the doe-eyed boy beside her. He stared down at her then up at everyone staring at them. "It can just be a peck on the cheek, if you want," she told him, tapping her cheek. She didn't actually expect him to kiss her in front of their classmates like that but she was still being surprised by things that she never thought he'd do, so who knew?

Risa and Riku and their other friends giggling in their huddle, meaning for it to be a light joke, but Daisuke's face went as red as his hair and after taking one last glance at Sayo, he suddenly ran out of the room, exclaiming some kind of excuse to leave. Everyone stared after him, but the one most concerned was Sayo. Had she done something wrong? Did he not think she was kissable?

Sayo sharply shook her head at those thoughts, dismissing them. 'Of course not!' she feverishly denied to herself, 'I'm sure whatever reason Daisuke had, it was a _really_ good one. I'll just... wait it out. Hopefully he'll feel like telling me later.'

With that determined Sayo waved off Takeshi's confused look and the girls' wide-eyed expressions of surprise then began to walk back to her desk, which was still right next to Satoshi's. Halfway across the room, however, she noticed just how alone the Commander looked, sitting by himself and with just a book. Despite having their little dispute cleared up and already becoming good friends again, Sayo still couldn't help but feel just a tad guilty for dropping Satoshi the way she had for Daisuke. She had realized last week how he'd felt for her and how hard that was for him to do, so now, she was fixated on making it up to him somehow. But the how was what she was stuck on.

However, that's when she saw Risa giggling with her friends and Riku only a few feet away. Her brain put two and two together and a grin went to her face in delight at her ingenious plan. Sauntering over to her desk to put the candy grams into her book bag for later, Sayo leaned over her desk to catch Satoshi's attention. He glanced up with a stoic expression and raised a single eyebrow, questioning what she wanted with that one look. Her grin grew bigger, just _knowing_ her plan would succeed.

"Say, you know how the school is putting on a Christmas play, right?" the amber-eyed girl asked in a low voice, not wanting to risk having Risa overhear. Satoshi finally laid his book down, his full attention on her now. "Well, Risa was made to be one of the people to paint the scenes, right? Since I know how much of a crazy-good artist you are and I've seen the terrible paintings she's made in Art Class, I was thinking that _maaaaybe_, you could show her a few tips after school today."

Satoshi's blue eyes glinted with dry amusement. "And why exactly would I do that?" he inquired from her blandly. Sayo leaned closer to him, giggling to herself.

"You don't realize how Risa looks at you when you're not looking; trust me, she would _love_ for you to help her!" she told him excitedly, bluffing her way through her plan now. She knew that Risa _might_ like the spectacled teen, but wasn't sure how she'd feel if he offered to help her paint the scenes. Then again, Risa always had enjoyed having good-looking boys in the school paying attention to her, so perhaps if Satoshi agreed to help the twin, it would cause stronger feelings between the two! Her plan was fool-proof, if Satoshi only went with it!

After a moment of simply staring at each other, Satoshi finally sighed deeply and closed his eyes, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Very well," he told the raven-headed girl quietly in his usual low tone, "However, I'll only do it as a favor to you, Miss Aisaka, and if she declines, then I ask to not try something like this again." At the last request, Satoshi gave Sayo a slight smirk of amusement, as though seeing through her words earlier and knowing what she was trying to do. Instead of denying any kind of plot for the two, Sayo merely laughed under her breath and nodded, watching the placid-faced teen calmly walk over to Risa and her group of tittering friends. She felt proud; like she had done a good day's work of matchmaking. Satoshi and Risa seemed like a good couple in the making- her full of energy and over-the-top and him calm, collected and able to get through any situation he was thrown in. They were almost a match made in heaven and Sayo was glad to be a part of it!

Noticing the time, Sayo then thought about another certain boy in a match made in heaven, sighing heavily. Daisuke still hadn't returned to the classroom and the bell was going to ring in five minutes. She supposed she'd have to wait until class to see him.

* * *

Ten minutes later, while everyone around were busy with getting their afternoon class books ready for the next lesson, Sayo couldn't help but sigh internally at how long Daisuke was taking in returning from... wherever he had disappeared to during lunch. She sighed again at that thought, remembering that it was Takeshi who had caused the redhead to react so intensely. If the reporter hadn't teased them like he had about the mistletoe, Daisuke would probably be sitting right next to her and they'd be talking and carrying on as they always did before class started. But the brunette male _had_ and it was all _his_ fault!

Sayo silently growled to herself about the stupid mess and just as she did, the door slid open and in walked Daisuke, looking as though nothing had happened earlier. Until his and Sayo's eyes met; then he went pink in the face and looked away quickly, looking flushed at meeting her eyes. The raven-haired girl blinked, wondering why he still wasn't looking at her, but said nothing as the doe-eyed teen made his way over to his desk beside hers and sat down, slipping his books out from his desk for class.

"So where'd you go at lunch, Daisuke?" Sayo asked the boy innocently, though she really just wanted to know if he was alright. But Daisuke seemed to refuse to look at her or talk to her, his bottom lip being abused by his teeth silently as he averted his eyes. Sayo pulled back from his reaction, eyes wide and feeling a bit wounded. They'd been teased about dating by Saehara since they'd arrived to school holding hands and calling each other by their first names. It hadn't bothered Daisuke at all since he knew Saehara was kidding around and just being playful with them. How come Daisuke was taking the journalist's teasing so seriously this time? Sayo couldn't understand and for a moment, couldn't help think that perhaps it had more to do that she had went with Saehara this time and in front of his former crush. But that hadn't bothered Daisuke before either. So maybe it _was_ because she went overboard with the joke...

"Daisuke, are you okay?" Sayo prodded, her tone soft and concerned. The redhead glanced over then, and slipped a casual, weak smile on his face, laughing under his breath.

"I-I'm fine, Miss Sayo," he assured her lightly, waving a hand to her before turning his attention to the front, where the teacher was beginning class and trying to calm the students down. A frown went to Sayo's lips, noticing how he added the polite formality to her name again, but didn't mention it. Better talk about it later with privacy than during class and get in trouble for it.

The last two lessons went by painfully fast to the girl. By the time school let out for break at the end of the day, she just wanted to go home and sleep; she hadn't been able to pay much attention to the class due to her overanalyzing what Daisuke had told her after lunch. Her brain was feeling just a bit abused at the moment and rest would help solve that little problem.

At the locker, she could hear Risa giggling something to Riku and Sayo raised her eyebrow, then mentally groaned. She'd made plans with Risa after school to do a bit of their winter break homework! She'd completely forgotten about that! However, speaking of the devil, the brunette twin came up to Sayo and folded her hands together in apology, smiling weakly.

"Sayo, I am _so_ sorry," Risa said with a light laugh, sweat dropping a bit. "I'm afraid you can't come over today to start our homework together." She paused, glancing behind her shoulder to her sister, who motioned for her to hurry. Turning back to Sayo, the Harada twin giggling quietly. "Hiwatari is helping me paint for the play in a few minutes, so I'll have to take a rain check. Are you okay with that?"

Inside, Sayo was laughing hysterically at how excited and eager Risa was at the chance to be around Satoshi for a while after school, but forced herself to act slightly disappointed and nod. "Alright. But we'll get together in the next week or so, okay? And see if Hiwatari can come along as well; he should be able to help us with whatever we get stuck on."

At that little invite, Risa beamed and nodded happily, clapping her hands and saying a quick farewell to Sayo before rushing off with Riku toward the gymnasium to continue their duties of helping with the play. Sayo chuckled under her breath and removed her jacket from her locker then closed the door, only to jump in fright at the sudden appearance of Daisuke right beside her, behind the door.

"Oh... My goodness, did you scare me!" she laughed breathlessly, holding a hand to her chest with a light grin of amusement. Daisuke flushed in apology and smiled slightly, helping her slip on the jacket. "So... I thought you had left already to get the train home," she added, looking at him strangely. She couldn't help but still feel stung over how he'd acted in class earlier.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Daisuke averted his eyes from Sayo again, clearing his throat. "U-uhm.. Well, I was wondering," he started, clearly embarrassed. "I-if you'd like to... possibly take a walk with me tonight? After dinner?" He brought his wide, ruby eyes back to Sayo, who looked slightly embarrassed herself and flushed a bit. "You don't have to if you don't want to; I was just asking."

A smile suddenly appeared on her face then and she nodded feverishly. "I'd love to, Daisuke. What time and where do we meet up?" she asked him cheerfully; Daisuke smiled as well and beamed.

"Well, I was thinking we'd meet at the street heading into the town square where the tree is lit at night around five thirty, if you weren't busy," he told her. Sayo nodded again. It seemed like her evening was looking up, after all!

"Sure thing! Five thirty it is, then," she agreed before reaching over and pecking Daisuke's cheek quickly and heading toward the exit of the school so she could get home. They waved goodbye for the time being and left for their homes, eager to meet up and spend the evening together.

* * *

Two and a half hours later, Sayo was looking around for that red head of hair she'd grown to fawn over lately, peering over the tops of people's brown and black heads for her boyfriend. But there was no familiar sign of him and she sighed quietly to herself, resting her back against the light pole behind her. Just then, however, she heard a soft noise behind her that sounded like Daisuke's throat clearing and she whipped around, her expression brightening at the sight of the ruby eyes and gentle smile on Daisuke's calm face.

"Evening, Sayo," he greeted her warmly; she couldn't resist a giggle at how formal she sounded and took the hand he offered out to her.

"And a good evening to _you_, Dai," she said playfully as they began walking into the town square where dozens of couples walked around as well, admiring the large pine tree that had been richly decorated with ornaments, tinsel, and other little nick nacks that some people had added themselves. At the very top of the tree laid a bright, golden angel that seemed to have actually come down from Heaven itself. It was possibly the most beautiful Christmas tree angel Sayo had ever seen and she didn't realize she'd stopped to stare up at it until she shivered suddenly and Daisuke pulled from her. She looked over to him and he smiled kindly in return.

"I'll go get some hot chocolate. Stay here. Okay?" he told her and Sayo nodded with a smile, watching him walk off toward the small stand a few yards away that sold hot drinks and Christmas-y treats. A minute later, he came back and handed a cup of steaming hot chocolate to her, which she accepted gratefully. They went to sit at a bench a few feet away, still able to gaze up at the tree and its angel.

A small, distant smile went to Daisuke's lips and after he took a sip of his drink, sighed softly. Sayo glanced over to him and he chuckled under his breath. "I remember... when Dark brought Miss Harada here last year," he murmured nonchalantly, taking another sip slowly. Sayo's content expression fell slightly at the mention of the Phantom Thief who'd attempted to woo her so many months ago, and lowered her head so her amber eyes fell to the white ground, watching each light snowflake drift to the tightly packed snow that had been stepped on by everyone around. "Mi- Sayo?" Daisuke questioned gently, stuttering when he nearly added the formality again.

"I'm not sure how I can get used to this so easily or quickly," she murmured with a heavy sigh, laying her drink on the bench beside her. She felt Daisuke's eyes on her but he said nothing, so she went on. "Amber was part of my life; like my older sister or second mother. When she wasn't being totally childish or annoying, anyway. I know by the end, she was crazy and totally psychotic, but that doesn't mean I don't miss the idea of having her there to keep me company."

There was a beat of silence before Daisuke nodded his own agreement, a smile on his face as he copied Sayo's position. "I know what you mean," he said quietly, "I never thought I'd ever want to hear him tease me about us dating or anything like that. Sometimes, I actually wonder what he might say." He chuckled softly and shook his head. "Sure he was arrogant and a flirt to every girl he ran into, but he was also sincere and protective and ... like a brother to me." He raised his head to the sky, a kind smile on his face and his ruby eyes softened in distant thought. "Wherever he is, though, I really hope he's happy. Otherwise, I won't feel like I did my job of being a good host for him all that time he was in me."

"I feel really happy for Hiwatari," Sayo piped up, a smile in her voice. Daisuke looked over at her, blinking. She shrugged casually. "He had the worst end of the family curses; living with such a terrible man like Krad and having to avoid socializing in fear of hurting your friends. That must have been absolutely lonely..."

At the mention of the blue-haired Commander, Daisuke couldn't help but wonder about how Sayo had felt for the older boy before he had started dating her. But he didn't want to pry into her private business just in case she _had_ had feelings for him. However, there wasn't much else he could do to find out. He couldn't help his curiosity, so he sighed silently and went for it.

"Sayo, I'm just wondering, but... Before everything happened with us, did you really like Hiwatari? Dark had mentioned it to me once that you did." He paused and laughed a little, sweat dropping at how upfront he sounded. "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't be asking this of you, especially after what you'd gone through with him," he amended sheepishly, standing as he drained the last of his hot chocolate. When he did, however, Sayo quickly stood as well and grabbed his jacket sleeve, stopping him abruptly. Daisuke turned his head to look at his amber-eyed girlfriend and she shook her head with a small smile.

"No, it's alright," she told him quietly, releasing his sleeve and wringing her fingers together. "I don't mind telling you, Daisuke. Yes; I had really liked Hiwatari. He seemed to be the only one who understood the annoyance of our other halves, and he helped me with a lot of things I couldn't handle myself." She shrugged a bit. "I dunno; plus, he was pretty darn good-looking in my books."

"Oh. I see," Daisuke murmured, turning his head back to hide his face from Sayo. She blinked, wondering what was wrong, then smiled widely and went around him to look up into his fiery eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey," Sayo said softly, "Don't worry about it, Daisuke. I don't care about Hiwatari like that any more. Promise. The only boy I want to be with is _you_, so you're gonna be stuck with me for a _long_ time, buster." With a playful giggle, the raven-haired girl then reached up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, which turned red with happy embarrassment as Daisuke smiled in his usual warm way, nodding bashfully.

"There's nothing I'd like more than that, Sayo," the redhead told her softly, gently taking her hands in his. They stood that way for a few minutes, simply gazing at each other lovingly and smiling like a newlywed couple. But just as Sayo opened to speak, she watched Daisuke shiver lightly and she blinked with concern. She pulled her hands from his and grabbed her light blue scarf that hung loosely around her neck, then began to put half of it around Daisuke's neck. He gasped lightly and his cheeks went as dark red as his hair but he smiled and allowed her to finish.

"There. Y'know, you really should invest in a good scarf, Daisuke," she joked lightly, then yelped when an icy drop of water landed on her nose. Daisuke let out his own small yelp as another drop landed on his nose as well. Together, the couple looked up and their eyes went wide at the same time, blushes forming across their faces at the familiar green plant hanging over their heads on the light pole two feet in the air.

Instantly, Sayo glanced over at Daisuke and her cheeks bloomed further with more embarrassment, remembering how fiercely the redhead had reacted to the teasing Saehara had subjected him to over the mistletoe with her. Not wanting to repeat the same reaction from him, Sayo laid her hands on Daisuke's chest and started to gently pull away, making sure to keep the scarf around his neck. But then he held her against him by the waist and pulled her back, smiling down at her.

"I won't let you get away a second time, you know," Daisuke chuckled quietly, raising his free hand to brush the back of his fingers against her flaming cheek, feeling the heat increase from it as she shyly smiled, her fingers curling around the front of his jacket. "Since Dark stole a kiss from you before we properly met, I think it's only fair if I have a kiss as well, being your boyfriend and all. Right?"

Unable to speak from how confident and reminiscent of Dark Daisuke spoke as, Sayo could only nod and smile faintly, heart pounding in anticipation as Daisuke smiled as well and slowly began to lean down toward her; she reached upwards on her tiptoes, closing her eyes just as their lips met, warm and soft. She had never experienced anything so sweet and gentle before and was glad that there would be more in the future.

Finally, Daisuke pulled back and his smile widened at her. Playfully, Sayo grinned and stepped closer to him, bringing her hands up around his neck instead. "Hmm, I think I need another kiss to properly overthrow Dark's. Wouldn't you agree?" she teased and Daisuke laughed, pulling her to him again and kissing her again, this time more passionate and deeply while she tangled her fingers into his hair, tugging him as close as she could. She'd made her decision and dammit, she was _loving_ it!

For the first time in her entire life, Sayo was happy.


End file.
